Facing the Past
by BloomingViolets
Summary: SPD. Z has never been proud of the life she had lived prior to SPD. But when a certain secret comes to light, the yellow ranger must face her past in order to solve the mystery that has been haunting her for years. [BridgeZ]
1. Visiting Old Friends

Note: Hi everybody, I'm back with a new fic! I guess you can say this is sort of a companion piece to 'Pink Surprise' –it's not exactly a sequel, though this story will have some references to that story.

This story takes place a couple of months after the ending of 'Pink Surprise'.

Disclaimer: This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. I do not and will never own Power Rangers.

**-x-x-x-**

It had been four years.

Four _long_, agonizing years.

He had everything. He had been _powerful_. Strong. He controlled his own life. Took orders from no one.

And it had been all ripped away by some measly _brats_.

The man felt his blood boil at the thought of his reason for being in jail in the first place and he slammed a fist against the side of his bed. He then turned and looked out of the window of his jail cell. The moon shone brightly and beautifully, but he took no notice. His mind flashed back to four years earlier, to a time where he had been on top of the world. A time before he had lost everything.

The man stood up from his bed, and moved to stare out of the window. This time, he noted the smell of the waves as the ocean slapped against the side of the building. The peacefulness of the night seemed to calm the rage within him and brought him to a calm state of mind once more.

'_Soon_,' he thought, '_soon, I'll get out of here, and when I do, I'll get my revenge_.'

**-x-x-x-**

_She walked along the dark corridors, smells of tobacco and ecstasy hanging in the air. Sounds of people moaning –in terror, it sounded like- were all around her and she swallowed nervously as her eyes darted from side to side. She headed toward her destination, fear gripping at her heart each step she took. She neared the big heavy door and pushing the door open, cautiously peeked inside. Inside, were two men, exchanging a deal of some sort. _

_One of the men noticed her and stood up from his chair, gesturing an arm toward her. "Ah, there you are!" he greeted as he moved toward her. _

_She suppressed a shudder as the man led her to his companion. This was to be her first assignment, and she was becoming more frightened with each passing moment. The other man grinned maliciously as he eyed her up and down. She didn't want to do this, but she knew she had no choice, she-_

"Z? Z! Wake up!"

A pair of hands shook her shoulders and Elizabeth Delgado sat up straight with a gasp, panic setting in, her heart pounding a mile a minute. She looked around wildly before registering that she was in her room at SPD Academy. Her roommate, Syd, was staring at her with an expression of concern.

Immediately, she calmed down and let out a sigh of relief. She was safe.

"Are you okay?" Syd demanded to know. The pink ranger was sitting at the edge of her bed, waiting for her answer as she handed her a glass of water.

Z took a few sips, instantly feeling a lot better. The yellow ranger lowered the glass. "Yeah," she replied. "I'm fine."

"Nightmare?" Syd asked knowingly. "You were thrashing in your bed and yelling out."

Z shook her head. "Sort of. More like a bad memory."

"Want to talk about it?"

There was a short pause. "Maybe some other time, if you don't mind," Z finally said. The yellow ranger glanced at the digital alarm clock on her nightstand. _2:37am. _"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Syd shook her head. "Nah. I was already up anyway, couldn't sleep."

Z frowned. "How come?"

Her roommate shrugged. "I was going to head to the boys' room. It's kind of hard to sleep without Sky next to me, nowadays."

Z let out a soft laugh and shook her head.

Syd shrugged again. "Ever since that Jake incident, I still haven't totally let down my guard, you know? Even though I know Jake is dead, sleeping in Sky's arms makes me feel safer."

Despite her nightmare only moments earlier, Z felt a shudder run through her. A few months ago, Sydney had been stalked by a man named Jordan Drover. Jordan had killed a man named Jake Hemmington and had taken over his identity. Coincidently Syd had resembled Jordan's late wife, Susan. The man had mistakenly confused Sydney with Susan and thus began the stalking. Herself, Bridge and Jack, along with Kat Manx had worked painstakingly to bring the guy down. Ultimately they had succeeded, but at a heavy price –Jack had suffered a blow to the head and other injuries and Sky had been shot twice, for protecting Syd. Z still felt uneasy every time she remembered just what 'Jake' had done.

"Think you're going to be okay?" Syd asked softly. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

The yellow ranger felt a smile come to her face. She wasn't as close to Syd as she was with Jack, but they were getting there. Being the only girls on the ranger team had definitely brought them closer than she could've imagined. "I'm fine Syd. Trust me, all this stuff in my nightmare happened a long time ago."

The pink ranger didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

Z waved off her concern. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm over it. Now go to Sky. I'm sure your boyfriend would be delighted that you want to get into his bed."

Syd wrinkled her nose. "When you say it like that, you make it sound like I want to get into his pants or something."

The yellow ranger wiggled her eyebrows. "Don't you?"

She watched with amusement as her roommate blushed and began sputtering excuses. Finally, Z decided to go easy on her and laughed. "I was just kidding Syd. Go to Sky."

The pink ranger hesitated before getting off the bed. The doors of their room slid open and she faced Z once more. "Are you _really_ sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Z made a gestured that clearly said 'get out of here.' Moments later, the doors closed behind Syd as the pink ranger made her way to Sky's room and she was left alone.

Letting out a sigh, Z settled under the covers once again, her nightmare still fresh in her mind. She turned on her side and shut her eyes tightly. '_It was a long time ago,' _she told herself, '_It's all over now. You're safe here at SPD. And besides, you know that Jack and all the other rangers would be around to protect you and keep you safe. And you know that you're not helpless.'_

With that thought in mind, Z fell back into an uneasy, restless sleep.

**-x-x-x-**

The sun shone brightly the next morning as the SPD Academy came to life with activity. Kat Manx and her assistant Boom were seen working on more gadgets and other things. In another area, Commander Cruger could be seen out on the training field, working with the C-squad cadets, with the D-squad watching close by waiting for their turn to be trained.

Bridge Carson groaned as he flopped down on the grass, ignoring the strange looks being sent his way from the cadets around him. Sweat was dripping all over his forehead but he could've cared less. He was _that_ tired. He heard two more groans and someone flopping onto the ground next to him. He turned his head slightly and saw a mop of blonde hair on his left. Syd was lying flat on her back, breathing heavily from their training.

"I'm gross and dirty but I'm too tired and sore to move," the pink ranger whined.

"Tell me about it," Bridge agreed.

"At least this time Jack joined us," Sky grumbled from Syd's left. He looked just as exhausted as the others, but he made no move to lie on the ground like his friends. Instead, he sat down with an arm resting on his knee and one leg tucked under the other.

"Why did we have to do the 5-mile run through the mud swamp again?" Syd asked as she slowly moved toward the blue ranger and laid her head on his leg.

"'Cause Jack thought we needed to get in _better_ shape," Sky replied sarcastically, trying his best to wipe the mud off his hands. "You know I'm covered in mud right, Syd?"

"So am I," the pink ranger retorted from his lap. "It's not going to make much of a difference if I lay on you now, is it?"

The green ranger let out another sigh of exhaustion as his friends became absorbed in each other. Sky was playing with Syd's muddy blonde hair and the pink ranger wasn't objecting to more mud in her hair, being that she was too exhausted to complain. Bridge closed his eyes and laid there for a few minutes listening to the sound of other cadets training. Soon he heard more grunts and groans and he opened his eyes, lifting his head slightly as Z and Jack came out from under the obstacle. The yellow ranger pulled herself up and dragged herself over to Bridge's right side before flopping onto the ground as well.

"I'm dead," she groaned.

Bridge grinned tiredly in response and even though she was covered in mud from head to toe, he couldn't help thinking that the yellow ranger was extremely pretty.

Jack made no attempt to stand up and instead crawled over to where his teammates were. "How did you three get ahead of us so fast?"

"You think we haven't trained in there before?" Sky asked, giving the red ranger a look, "we've been on the squad for two years."

"It's stupid how it still makes us so tired," Syd moaned, "we've been training for two years, the mud swamp should be a breeze by now."

"It was a breeze," Bridge cut in, "until the Commander decided to make it bigger."

"At least now we have the rest of the day off," Z said.

"Come on guys, let's go get cleaned up," Sky waited until Syd pulled herself into a sitting position before standing up. The blue ranger reached out to Syd and the pink ranger accepted his hand and slowly pulled herself up into a standing position, sighing tiredly as she did so. Bridge let out a groan before sitting up as well. He was not looking forward to getting all the mud out of his gloves!

"The next time I think we need to do the mud swamp course, beat me up," Jack muttered as he sat up.

Both Sky and Syd looked happy at that comment. "Don't worry, we will!"

The other three rangers stood up and together they all headed back towards the Academy.

**-x-x-x-**

Z sighed and leaned back into the passenger seat of the SPD jeep as she and Jack drove off, the SPD Academy disappearing behind them. Now that they had the rest of the day off, she and Jack had decided to visit some of their old friends, ones that they had known before joining SPD.

"Think they'll be excited to see us?" Z asked, absently twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "I mean, we _are_ dropping by without telling them."

Jack shrugged. "We used to drop in to see them all the time without telling them."

"But that was before we joined SPD."

"So?"

"So… what if they… you know, don't want to talk to us?"

"Z, you grew up with these people. You guys were close before I ever came along, why wouldn't they want to talk to you?"

Z shrugged, leaning back into her seat as they continued driving further into the city. Pretty soon, familiar places were in her line of vision. Cracked roads and run-down houses that were practically falling apart, broken windows, smelly yards and flea infested trash littering the streets. The yellow ranger gave a tiny shudder. This had been her home for most of her life.

They pulled into the parking lot of a run-down looking factory and got out of their vehicle. A young man with dirty blonde hair looked up from his work as they approached. Instantly his face lit up in recognition. "Z!" he exclaimed. "Jack!"

Z felt a true smile come to her face as all her anxiety faded. "Hi Caleb!" She hugged him warmly as she approached.

Caleb Welling had been one of the many people that Z had encountered when she had been younger and she had been the one that she had turned to while growing up on the streets. Besides Jack, Caleb had acted like a surrogate older brother throughout the many years and Z had never forgotten his kindness.

Caleb released her and turned to greet Jack warmly. "It's so great to see you guys!" Pulling back he smiled, "what brings you guys here?"

"We're visiting," Jack answered cheerfully.

"Come on in," Caleb motioned them toward the factory. "It's not as fancy as your SPD Academy, but it's probably just as lively. The others will be so happy to see you!"

The three of them headed inside, ignoring the grunts of other workers that gave them glances as they passed. Caleb led them down a dimly lit corridor, toward a small room and gestured them inside. As soon as Z entered the room, followed by Jack, there was a loud shriek.

"ELIZABETH! Is that _you_?"

Rosanna Thompson bounced up to them, an excited expression on her face. "Oh it's so good to see you! And Jack! You're here too."

Once all the hellos had been exchanged and they were joined by a few more people they all sat down on the ratty couches that the room provided.

"So tell us what SPD is like," Larissa Lee asked eagerly. "We've seen some of your battles on T.V. and some those monsters look pretty dangerous! I hope you guys weren't hurt too badly."

"Nah," Jack assured them, "the most we ever get is bruises. We've been lucky so far. It's not that bad of a place really, sometimes certain people get on your nerves though."

"So tell us about the other rangers," Rosanna prodded, and then she grinned mischievously. "Think you can introduce me to that hot blue ranger?"

"Sky?" Jack stared at Rosanna. "_Sky?_ You think Sky is _hot_? Are you feeling okay? What's wrong with you? Sky is about the most uptight person you'll ever meet."

The yellow ranger shot Jack a disapproving look. "Sky's not that bad anymore; he's loosened up a lot."

Rosanna grinned. "So does that mean he's available?"

Z laughed. "Sorry Rosie, but Sky has a girlfriend. He's dating our pink ranger. And you don't want to mess with Syd, she has a mean iron fist."

Rosanna gave an exaggerated sigh. "All the good looking guys are always taken."

Jack snorted. "_I_ don't have a girlfriend."

"Who said you were good looking?" Rosanna retorted.

Caleb grinned at Z as Rosanna and Jack got into a friendly argument. "It's never dull around here," Caleb spoke of his friends fondly. "So, how are you really?"

"I'm doing okay," Z shifted.

Caleb eyed her. "Don't lie to me Elizabeth Delgado. Something's bothering you."

Damn. Z bit her lip. How could Caleb read her like that? She was silent for a few moments, but finally sighed. There was no getting past Caleb after all. "I had a nightmare last night."

"About what?" Larissa looked concerned as she moved closer to the two.

"I just relived a moment of the past," Z mumbled, not really wanting to get into the story. "I'm okay though."

"And that's just what it is," Caleb declared softly. "The past. Those days are over for all of us. We're living happy lives now."

"Yeah," Z nodded and prepared to get comfortable. The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up with old friends.

**-x-x-x-**

Note: Just so you guys know, I'll be going by the canon ages that the writers of SPD gave us. Next chapter should be coming soon! Don't forget to review!


	2. Late Night Musings

Chapter 2 finally up! Thank you for all the review for 'Yours Forever' and the reviews for the last chapter! I'm hoping to have chapter 3 up by Tuesday at the very latest! Thanks for reading everyone :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

**-x-x-x-**

Bridge sighed as he leaned back in his chair and threw his hands behind his head. He was bored. And when he was bored, he started daydreaming. And what he daydreamed about? Let's just say that chances of it happening were slim to none.

"_5…4…3…2…1…Bing!"_

The doors to his room opened and Syd walked through. "Bridgey-" she began, before shrieking in surprise as a piece of toast came flying at her. The pink ranger ducked and the piece of toast hit the doors of his bedroom and fell to the floor, leaving an oil stain on the doors. Syd stood up and straightened out her uniform. "Toast?"

Bridge sat up straight. "Yeah, toast. Want some? I'll make it extra buttery!"

Syd wrinkled her nose. "No thanks."

"Okay, you don't know what you're missing. So what's up?"

The pink ranger moved further into the room and made herself comfortable on Sky's bed. "I'm bored."

"Where's Sky?"

Syd carefully inspected her nails. "He's off having fun," the pink ranger rolled her eyes, "doing his taxes."

Bridge couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me much."

Syd snorted. "Tell me about it. I told him that since it was so much fun for him, he could do my taxes as well. He actually _looked_ excited at the thought."

Bridge just shrugged. "It's like killing two birds with one stone."

"Exactly. Anyway, since Sky is doing his taxes, and Jack and Z are off visiting their friends, I thought we could hang out."

"Oh, I get it," Bridge gave her an amused look. "So you're hanging out with me because everyone else is busy. I'm the default."

Syd pouted. "Aww… come on Bridgey, it's not like that. You're my best friend! Why wouldn't I want to hang out with you?"

Bridge laughed. "I was just kidding Syd. Truth is, I was pretty bored too and technically, since you just told me that Sky was busy, that makes you the person to hang out with by default. So, what do you want to do?"

"Let's go grab some lunch and catch a movie?"

"Sounds good," the green ranger remarked, standing up. "Let's go."

"Uh, Bridgey?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you better clean the doors first so Sky doesn't get all huffy and complain about that stain from the toast you threw at me."

"I guess you're right. And I did not throw that piece of toast at you."

"Oh yeah… your machine did. Got it."

**-x-x-x-**

Z flopped tiredly onto her bed later that night. The day had been eventful and she had tons of fun catching up with her old friends. She brushed her hair and tied it back before laying down, snuggling under the covers. Turning to her side, her hand brushed the side of something soft and she glanced down at it. Smiling softly, she brought the doll up to her cheek and hugged it gently.

The doll had been one of the very few things that had been some comfort in her life. As a little girl, she had carried it around with her at all times and played with it many hours into the night. The doll had been in her clutches since before she had lived on the streets and she couldn't remember a time without it. The doll, Jenna as she had named it, was very old and ratty and had been stitched and repaired many times. It was cracked in many places, and the little clothes the doll wore were faded and ripped. But as old as it was, Z still loved her. The doll brought her comfort on the lonely, rainy nights that she had been stuck at the orphanage. The doll helped calm her fears when she was alone, living on the streets.

The doll had also been one of the few gifts she remembered receiving from her parents before they had died and that was why she had cherished it so much.

As her thoughts turned to her parents, Z the felt loneliness and longing wash over her, feelings that she had felt many times over the years. Her mother had been pregnant when she had died. Being that she had been so young, Z had never really gotten the details of her mother's death.

Her father had died when she had been eight and Z had a lot of fond memories of their time together. She remembered being taken to baseball games, going horseback riding and picnics in the park with a bunch of her father's friends. Her father had been her very best friend and though he was often strict, she knew that her father had loved her very much. Best of all, her father had loved her even though she had special powers. And it was his love that had helped her survive the first few years of being on the streets.

She remembered crying hard at her father's funeral and then being put into an orphanage a week later. The kids at the orphanage were nice at first and then they discovered her special power. And ran away. She remembered being teased and crying into her pillow at night from all the mean, nasty comments that the other kids had called her. A week later, she ran away from the orphanage and began making a life for herself on the streets.

The doors to her room slid open and her roommate waltzed in, humming happily. Broken from her thoughts, the yellow ranger yawned and sat up in her bed, watching as Syd got ready for bed. "What are you so happy about?"

The pink ranger shrugged, still humming happily. "I'm just in a good mood, I guess. How was your visit with your friends?"

Z felt a smile come to her face. "It was fun catching up with everyone again. It's the first time Jack and I have seen them since we joined SPD, so there was a lot to talk about." The yellow ranger gave Syd a sly look. "Better watch out, one of my friends thinks Sky is hot," she teased.

Syd snorted in an unlady-like manner. "Oh please. Like Sky would ever look at another woman."

"You're secure with your relationship," Z smiled. "That's good to know. Oh, and just for the record, I told Rosanna that Sky only had eyes for you anyway."

Syd grinned, before heading into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Once the pink ranger came out, the lights were turned off and the room plunged into darkness. Z gave a soft sigh and rolled over, clutching the doll to her chest and fell asleep.

_She crept as quietly as she could towards her bedroom. Maybe if she was lucky, she wouldn't run into anyone tonight. She was exhausted. Cautiously she opened her bedroom door and breathed a sigh of relief when it shut quietly behind her. She went to lie on her bed and stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep, despite being so tired. Minutes later, she heard soft knocking at her door. She sat up and pulled the covers back and went to open the door a crack. _

"_Caleb!" She exclaimed softly. Z opened the door wide and the boy in front of her, looking equally exhausted as she felt, carried an unconscious Rosanna into her room. Caleb laid Rosanna on her bed and Z knelt down next to her friend. _

"_What happened to her?" she asked. _

"_That man was too rough on her," Caleb whispered, softly stroking Rosanna's long red hair. _

"_Why does he make her do this, Caleb?" _

_Caleb shook his head, not wanting to tell the young nine-year-old girl the truth. He sighed, debating whether or not to tell her but deciding that he would. Z would find out eventually. "Because if Rosanna does this, he gets money." _

"_Money?" _

"_Yes, Z," Caleb's voice was patient. "Money. He takes care of us so we have to help him make some money." _

_Z stared at her friend. "Will Rosanna be okay?" she asked in a small voice. _

"_Yes, we just have to take care of her these next few days okay? Will you help me do that?"_

_Z nodded solemnly. _

"_Good girl," Caleb pulled her into a hug. "Someday, he's going to make you do this too, but I'm going to make sure he doesn't." _

_Wrapped in Caleb's arms, Z believed that he would protect her forever. _

Z sat up gasping for air. It took a few seconds for her to remember where she was and then relaxed. A quick glance at the other side of the room told her that Syd was still asleep. Z sighed and shook her head. Why was she dreaming of all these memories all of a sudden?

**-x-x-x-**

Far away, on the planet of Xylemar, the man sat on the bed of his jail cell in total darkness. There was a slight breeze coming from the window, making the temperature slightly chilly. The moon was hidden by dark clouds and below, the ocean waves crashed against the shore.

It was late into the night and all he could think about was his plan of escape. He could feel the anticipation rush through him. The time was coming and soon he would be free. Free to take back what was rightfully his and free to take revenge. The man's eyes narrowed and his smile became twisted and malicious.

Soon.

It was just a matter of time.

**-x-x-x-**


	3. An Uncomfortable Situation

Wow… everybody seemed to be updating their stories the last few days, so I figured that I better get off my lazy butt and update as well! This chapter doesn't really include anything… I guess it's more of an _entertaining_ chapter for now. Hope everybody enjoys it, things will pick up again in the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that concerns the Power Rangers.

**-x-x-x-**

The sun was beginning to rise and the Academy was starting to waken with activity but Z took no notice. The yellow ranger had been up since she had woken from her dreams the night before and hadn't been able to get back to sleep since. It was still really early yet, and Z had been sitting at the breakfast table for the last hour just waiting for anyone to show up.

A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of her and the yellow ranger glanced up, feeling a little startled. Bridge grinned at her before taking a seat next to her. He gestured at the cup of coffee. "You look like you could use an energy boost."

Z grasped the cup and took a sip. She smiled gratefully. "Thanks Bridge."

"It's no problem," the green ranger gave her a worried glance. "Are you okay? You look like you didn't sleep very well last night."

Z took another sip. "I'm fine." She flashed another smile at Bridge that made his heart thump wildly.

"Well," Bridge paused and he blushed a bit. "If you need someone to talk to, you know you can always come to me!"

At that comment, the yellow ranger truly grinned. "I know that Bridge. Thanks."

The doors to the Common Room opened and Jack walked in. The red ranger grabbed a breakfast tray and sat down in front of the two rangers. "I don't get why we have to wake up so early," he grumbled, yawning. "It should be a crime to be awake before 8am."

Bridge just shrugged. "It's protocol."

Jack took a bite of his pancakes and glanced up, taking a closer look at Z. "You alright? You look like the living dead."

The yellow ranger rolled her eyes. "Thanks Jack," she replied dryly. "You really know how to flatter a girl. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

The red ranger didn't look convinced. "Seriously though, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit tired that's all."

The doors to the Common Room slid open again and this time Sky and Syd walked in, both looking wide awake. "Good morning!" Syd grinned, moving to join the others as she grabbed a breakfast tray, with Sky following.

The other three rangers cringed at Syd's bright and chipper tone so early in the morning. "Must you be so disgustingly cheerful this early in the morning? It's not even 6:30 yet," Jack winced. "Some of us aren't morning people, if you hadn't noticed."

"Sorry," Syd chirped, grinning.

The blue and pink rangers sat down and began to dig into their breakfast. The rest of the time passed by in comfortable silence as they ate.

**-x-x-x-**

The pink ranger hummed happily as she made her way towards the boys' room after breakfast that very morning. They had split up shortly after they had finished eating to do their various morning activities (cleaning, roll duty with the younger cadets, checking in with the Commander and Kat etc…). Since they didn't have anything to do that particular morning, Syd had decided to look for Bridge. Pausing briefly to check her image in a nearby glass window, the pink ranger gave a grin at her reflection before knocking on the door. Her smile became wider when she heard her boyfriend's voice float through the door with a "Come in!" As soon as the doors slid open, she bounced in and flopped onto the edge of Sky's bed.

Sky looked up from his book and grinned. "Hi."

The pink ranger leaned forward and gave him a brief kiss. "Hi." She nodded at the book in his hand. "Why do you always read that?"

Sky gave her a puzzled look. "What's wrong with this book?"

Syd rolled her eyes. "Only that it's the most boring book in history. Honestly Sky, don't you ever get tired of reading the SPD handbook over and over?"

The blue ranger had a mischievous grin as he tossed his book onto his nightstand. He leaned forward and pulled the pink ranger into his arms. "I can think of better things to do," he wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Syd laughed and the two kissed for several more minutes. Pulling apart, Syd sighed happily and laid her head on Sky's chest.

"So," Sky asked, "Did you come here to bug me, or did you have a reason for visiting?"

"I need a reason to visit?" Syd pouted playfully and Sky grinned, shaking his head no. The pink ranger laughed. "Well, actually I was looking for Bridge."

"Why?"

"He disappeared after breakfast before I could talk to him. He promised that he would come fix our bathroom sink and our shower today. The sink is leaking again and there's something wrong with the shower. That water either comes out freezing cold or luke warm, it's like we're out of hot water or something. I wanted to make sure he didn't forget, and accidentally make other plans or something like that."

Sky coughed and shifted slightly, remembering the last time the girls' bathroom had ran out of hot water. He hadn't been able to look at Syd the same way since then. "I'm sure Bridge will remember."

"He better. Last time the faucet leaked, it took forever for the carpet to dry!"

**-x-x-x-**

Bridge knocked and frowned when he received no answer. "Syd? Z?" he called out. "I'm here to fix your sink and your shower!"

Again, no answer.

The green ranger shrugged and entered the room. The room was seemingly empty and he concluded that the girls were probably somewhere around the Academy. Perhaps the girls had forgotten that he was supposed to fix their faucet that morning. Bridge stepped toward the bathroom with a tool box in hand, but when he opened the door, he got a bit of a surprise.

"AHHH!"

"AHHH!" Bridge yelled in response and dropped his toolbox as the very nude yellow ranger quickly covered herself with a fluffy yellow towel. He quickly adverted his eyes to the floor and acting on instinct, he put his right hand over his eyes, shielding her from view. "Z…" he sputtered, "I-I'm sorry… I didn't think anyone was in here… I was supposed to… to…f-fix your sink… I… I…"

"It's okay Bridge," the yellow ranger wrapped the towel tightly around her body. "But… um… can you close the door so I can get dressed?"

"Oh… uh… right… sure… sorry!" pulling the door closed, he heard a "thank you" drift through the other side of the door. Feeling highly embarrassed, Bridge left his toolbox at the side of the bathroom door and ran out of the girls' room.

He needed something cold to drink.

**-x-x-x-**

Both Sky and Syd looked up as Bridge came barreling into the room at full speed.

"Hi Bridgey!" Syd greeted cheerfully from Sky's arms. "I'm glad you're here-"

Bridge didn't answer, he just ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Sky and Syd exchanged puzzled glances as they heard the sound of running water. Syd released herself from Sky's arms and stood up, walking over to the bathroom door. She knocked. "Bridgey? Are you okay?"

From inside the bathroom, Bridge heard Syd's questioning but ignored it. He stood in front of the sink and after splashing cold water on his face, he instantly felt better. Sighing, he opened the bathroom door and came face to face with Syd. He avoided the pink ranger's questions and moved to his side of the room, flopping onto his bed, and face first into his pillow. He groaned.

"Bridge?"

Now it was Sky's voice that held a hint of worry. The green ranger sat up and faced his teammates. The both of them looked anxious at his behavior. "I'm okay guys." Despite trying not too, Bridge blushed. The images of the nude yellow ranger were once again going through his mind.

The blue and pink rangers exchanged glances once again. Syd shrugged. Then suddenly, there was a loud buzzing noise and the pink ranger pulled out her morpher. "Syd here!"

"Syd?" Z's voice floated through the device and Bridge flinched and turned even redder. Syd noticing this, raised an eyebrow at the green ranger as she replied, "What's up Z?"

"I need to talk to you, in our room NOW."

"Okay, I'm coming!" Syd cast another suspicious glance at Bridge before giving Sky a kiss on the cheek and walking out of the room.

Once the doors closed behind the pink ranger, Sky gave his roommate a curious glance. "What's wrong?"

Bridge didn't reply. He flopped backward on to his bed and groaned once more.

**-x-x-x-**

"So, he saw everything?"

Z nodded.

"Everything?" Syd's voice held a note of amusement.

Z nodded once more.

"_EVERYTHING?_"

"For goodness sake, YES, he saw everything!" Z grabbed her pillow and buried her face into it. "I've never been so mortified in my life!"

Syd was far from sympathetic though, and instead burst into hysterical laughter. The pink ranger couldn't reply to Z's comment, her whole body was wracked in uncontrollable laughter, the kind that made her sides ache with pain. Bridge was relatively innocent in some senses and she could just imagine the look on the green ranger's face when he had walked in on Z.

The yellow ranger scowled. "SYD!"

"Sorry," Syd automatically replied, biting her lip, not sounding apologetic at all. The pink ranger tried to calm down, but a laugh still escaped so she clamped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders still shaking.

Z glared at her roommate. "It's not funny, Syd."

"Actually, it is," the pink ranger giggled. Once Sydney had managed to control her laughter, she cleared her throat. "Well, that explains why he was acting so weird earlier," she remarked, still grinning. "No offense Z, but why are you so embarrassed? It's not like you have three nipples or a fat stomach, or a big, ugly, hideous mole on your leg. In fact, you look pretty damn good naked."

The yellow ranger gave Syd an odd look. "Thanks… I think."

"It could be worse than it is," the pink ranger gave Z an amused grin. "So Bridge saw you naked, big deal. It's not like you have an ugly body. It's not the end of the world."

Z shot another glare at Syd, not feeling the least bit consoled. "How would you feel if Sky walked in on you while you were naked?"

Syd gave her a bored look and shrugged. "He already has. I swear, those bathroom doors are like soundproof or something, you can't hear anything happening on the inside or outside when the door is shut. Remember when you used up all the hot water in our bathroom a few months ago? I went to go use Sky's shower. He didn't know I was in there and walked in on me."

Z looked incredulous. "What did you do?"

The pink ranger looked nonchalant. "Nothing."

"_Nothing_? How did Sky react?"

"He enjoyed the view. Sputtering and mumbling excuses like an idiot, but he enjoyed the view."

The yellow ranger stared at Syd before bursting into laughter with the pink ranger joining in. Z shook her head, grinning. Ever since she had gotten together with Sky, Syd was definitely not shy about these kinds of comments anymore. The pink ranger definitely didn't embarrass easily where Sky was concerned.

"Are you going to be okay now?"

"Yeah," Z sighed. "I guess you're right. It could be worse."

"Of course I'm right. And besides," Syd grinned cheekily. "Look at it this way, Bridge probably enjoyed the view."

"Syd!"

"What? Even though Bridge is the most innocent of the guys, he's still a male specimen! It's only expected. Now let's go grab some lunch."

Blushing red, Z swatted the pink ranger. Together they stood up and walked out of their room towards the Recreation Room.

**-x-x-x-**

Both Sky and Bridge entered the Recreation Room to a fit of giggles. The pink and yellow rangers were seated on the couch, eating their way through what looked like several cartons of Chinese food. However, as soon as Sydney noticed Bridge, she burst into laughter, which caused Z to slap her on the arm and begin blushing heavily. Out of the corner of his eye, Sky saw that Bridge was starting to turn a heavy shade of red as well.

"Am I missing something?" Sky looked back and forth between the girls and Bridge, confused by the way his girlfriend had reacted to seeing the green ranger.

"NO!" Both the green and yellow rangers yelled at exactly the same time causing Syd to laugh even harder.

If possible, Bridge blushed even harder when his gaze locked with Z's. Syd was still giggling and was now watching them eagerly with a knowing smile on her face. Sky coughed, still not having any clue what was going on. There was an awkward silence as Bridge and Z stared at one another. The doors to the Recreation Room opened and Jack walked in whistling cheerfully.

"Hey people," the red ranger greeted, "What's happening?"

He stopped short as he noticed the underlying tension on the room. His face took on a curious, puzzled expression as he noticed the reactions between Z and Bridge. He became a bit more confused when he saw Syd grinning at the two like she knew what was going on. The red ranger glanced at Sky and the blue ranger shrugged, indicating that he didn't have any clue to what was going on either. Bridge coughed, casting a meaningful glance at Syd, who pouted because she wanted to see what would happen, but sighed and stood up anyway.

"Sky, I want some ice cream!" Syd walked over to where the blue ranger stood and began tugging on his arm.

Sky frowned. "So go get some. The food replicator is right over there, you know."

The pink ranger sighed rolling her eyes and began pushing Sky towards the doors, ignoring his protests. "Come on Jack!" She called.

"But I just got here!" Jack looked indignant. He had been looking forward to eating as much food as he possibly could after the training he had just done with Commander Cruger.

"NOW JACK!" The pink ranger's voice left no room for argument.

Jack sighed. Shaking his head, the red ranger turned and followed his friends out of the room, leaving Bridge and Z alone. There was an awkward silence.

"Uh… I'm sorry… for… you know…" Bridge blushed, not having any idea what to say.

"Ah, don't worry about it Bridge," Z dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand. She just wanted everything to go back to normal. "It could've happened to anybody."

The green ranger looked unsure. "So… we're okay?"

Z smiled at him, "Yeah, we're okay."

Within seconds, everything seemed to go back to normal. The green ranger moved to join Z on the couch, picking up an uneaten carton of Chinese food and began to dig in. Bridge's expression was once again bright and happy. "I never got to tell you guys about my dream last night. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure," Z grinned as she picked up her own lunch. Everything was back to the way it was.

"Well, I was walking through this forest, when I suddenly meet this talking purple dragon…"

**-x-x-x-**

Over on the planet of Xylemar, the man stood at the window of his jail cell. The bars were strong, made of metal, but that wasn't going to stop him. The ocean was fairly calm at the moment, but later that night, when he made his escape, the waves would be raging. And the wild raging ocean was what he was counting on. He was ready to have it all, and nothing was going to stop him. Damn the consequences.

The salty ocean air made him grin in anticipation. He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. It would do no good to get worked up before the time came. He glanced up at the sun. It was mid-afternoon. Just a few more hours and he would be free. Free to take on his revenge and get back his life.

His eyes darkened.

Just a few more hours until nightfall.

**-x-x-x-**

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter :)


	4. Warning, Part 1

Hey everybody, sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I've been bogged down with college stress and volunteering –there's really no excuse, so all I can say is sorry! The next chapter won't take as long, my inspiration has finally come back and with school starting really soon, I'll be able to schedule a time to write! Keep those reviews coming!

To Jenee and Melissa –thank you for your constant support! I _so_ enjoy our nightly chats and exchange of emails. You girls are fabulous!

Disclaimer: Someone other than me owns Power Rangers.

**-x-x-x-**

Nightfall came slowly –too slowly for his taste, but all that mattered was that it was now finally here. Now, all he needed was the right moment to put his plan in motion. Giovanni Deveraux cracked his knuckles in anticipation. He sat still on his bed, listening for the sound that would enable him to take action.

Finally, he heard it.

The jingling sound of keys meant that the night guard was slowly approaching. A few seconds more. Giovanni stood and silently crept toward the door, leaning against the side as the sound of a key slid into the lock and the handle of the door begin to turn. He held his breath and waited for the right moment.

The door began to slowly push open and the guard stuck his head in. "Hey Deveraux! Time for-"

The guard never got to finish his sentence as Giovanni yanked him into the room by his neck. Before the guard could make a noise of protest, in one fluid motion Giovanni snapped his neck, killing the guard instantly. Quickly, he swapped clothes with the now dead body, donning the official uniform. Grabbing the keys, Giovanni placed the corpse onto the bed and wrapped it with the blankets, making it look like there was a figure sleeping. He needed all the delays he could get. Quietly slipping out of the room, he pulled the door shut, locking it securely.

He walked at a brisk, but even pace. Fortunately, luck was on his side that night. No one had stopped him on the way out, nor had there been anyone guarding outside the prison walls. Giovanni Deveraux let out a sigh of relief as he stepped into a row boat and began gently rowing away. He was safe, no one would find out about his escape until morning. His plan had gone off without a hitch and it had been much easier than he had thought.

His thoughts began to focus on the task ahead of him and his eyes narrowed. Part one of his plan had been completed successfully. Now it was time for part two to begin.

He needed to get to Earth by sunrise.

**-x-x-x-**

"Oof!"

The wind was knocked out of him as Bridge landed on his back for the second time that morning. Training was going well, Bridge thought as he laid on the ground for a few moments, catching his breath. His sparring had improved greatly, his defenses were better and he could almost keep up with Sky now. The blue ranger appeared above him with a concerned expression on his face. Sky extended a hand to the green ranger and slowly pulled him up into a standing position.

"You okay Bridge? You landed a little too hard there."

"Yeah," the green ranger panted. "I'll be okay."

Sky grinned. "You've been practicing. You've improved a lot since the last time we sparred."

"Thanks."

The green ranger headed over to a nearby bench and grabbed his water bottle. Sitting down, he lifted the lid, before taking a long drink of water. Sky sat down next to him moments later, with his own water bottle. They watched, resting comfortably, as Jack sparred with the girls. After yesterday morning's bathroom fiasco, things had considerably returned to normal –although Bridge would never forget the sight of Z standing alone in the bathroom naked. Sky had repeatedly tried to find out what happened, but unfortunately for him, Bridge was keeping it close to his chest. It seemed Z had convinced the pink ranger to do the same thing as well. He knew for sure that Z was also keeping it quiet.

There was something else that was bothering Bridge. For those few very brief moments that he had been in the bathroom, he had seen glimpses of the scars on Z's body. Now, some of those scars might've been from the battles that they had fought with Grumm, but the green ranger privately doubted it. The scars didn't look fresh and they had to have come from her days on the streets. Bridge took a deep breath and tried to put the thoughts out of his mind as he watched Z pin Jack to the mats. It wasn't any of his business where the scars came from.

"So what happened yesterday?"

Bridge inwardly sighed. Sky had been asking this question at random times, hoping that it'll catch the green ranger off guard and blurt out the story. "Nothing."

Sky frowned at another failed attempt at getting the story. "Yeah right."

"Well obviously, it's not nothing," Bridge spoke up as a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "Because something happened so it can't be nothing, but that something is nothing because nothing really happened."

Sky sighed and rolled his eyes. Syd came bouncing up to them with her usual cheerful smile. "I am _so_ ready to stop training."

"Me too," Bridge agreed.

Sky gave both of them a disapproving look. "Guys, we've only been out here for two hours."

"And that's enough," Syd responded, as she reached for Sky's water bottle. Jack and Z joined their teammates on the bench, the yellow ranger moved to sit next to Bridge and everyone enjoyed a few minutes of peace.

"_POWER RANGERS, PLEASE REPORT TO THE COMMAND CENTRE."_

The rangers gave each other puzzled glances as they rose from the bench. That didn't sound like the usual emergency call that they always had. The five of them headed inside, toward the command centre, where Kat and Commander Cruger stood waiting for them. They lined up alongside one another and saluted.

"What is it Commander?" Syd asked.

The big blue dog stood with Kat by his side, looking far more serious than any of them had ever seen. "Cadets, we have just been informed of a situation happening in the eighth quadrant of the galaxy. A convicted criminal has just escaped confinement."

The rangers exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"This man was once a very influential person. Before his confinement, he ran a very dark business. He lured innocent girls into prostituting and the young boys into dealing drugs. He had children slaving away in dark rooms, working to clean their headquarters, package illegal drugs, and he played on their insecurities and emotions."

Z began to feel anxious. The commander's description was hitting just a little too close to home. She turned her head sideways and caught Jack's gaze. She breathed in sharply. From the look on the red ranger's face, she knew Jack felt it too. The feeling of uneasiness was hard to describe and she knew it wasn't her imagination. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what the commander had to say…

A hologram appeared in front of them as Cruger continued speaking. It showed a man walking out of the prison, heading toward a boat. "This man murdered the prison guard during the night and switched clothes as not to arouse suspicion. As you can see, he was able to escape with no difficulties." Cruger's eyes landed on the yellow ranger. "The man's name is Giovanni Deveraux."

Z let out a sharp cry at hearing the name. Her breathing became ragged as images flashed through her mind. Images and memories of the life she had tried so hard to leave behind. Her knees suddenly felt weak and the yellow ranger stumbled a bit. Her legs gave out and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

"Z!" Bridge swung forward and caught the yellow ranger just as she fainted. Syd looked alarmed and had immediately rushed over to where Bridge stood, while Sky moved next to the pink ranger looking calm but concerned. Jack's expression had hardened; he didn't look the least bit surprised that Z had fainted. Instead, the red ranger strode up to Commander Cruger and looked at him square in the eye.

"Where is he headed?"

Cruger met Jack's gaze. "At the moment it looks like he is heading for earth."

Jack swore under his breath, which confused the remaining rangers. He turned to face them. "Take Z to her room, I'll come fill you guys in once I talk to the Commander."

Bridge nodded and lifted Z up into his arms and left the command centre. Both Sky and Syd looked torn between going after their friends and staying to find out what the story was. Jack gave them a sharp look. "That was an order guys, get out of here now!"

The look on Jack's face was enough to get them moving. The blue and pink rangers shared a look and turned and left the command centre. They headed toward the room that the girls shared and entered to see Bridge sitting next to the unconscious yellow ranger. The room was eerily silent and Sky and Syd sat on the pink ranger's bed.

"I hope she's going to be okay," Syd spoke up softly.

Sky frowned. "I wonder why that name made her faint."

Bridge had an intense look of concentration on his face as he tried to read Z's aura. Colors of grey and brown swirled together. The green ranger frowned. The gray and brown colors were some of the more negative colors. That only meant one thing -Z was frightened. He looked at his friends, concern evident in his eyes. "She's scared."

"Of course she's scared, Giovanni Deveraux was supposed to stay in jail for the rest of his life! We never thought that bastard would escape prison!"

The three of them jumped as Jack came strolling into the girls' room. The red ranger strolled over the yellow ranger's bed and sighed as he watched his almost sister sleep.

"Jack, please tell us what's going on," Syd pleaded. "We want to understand. We want to help."

The red ranger sighed once more and nodded. He turned to face the window, staring out at the sunny sky. "Before I met Z, she lived at one of the run down orphanages over in the northern part of New Tech City. Things were tough for her at the orphanage –she couldn't make any friends, the kids there teased her and called her names when they found out about her special powers. She ran away a week later, and that's when Giovanni found her."

Bridge, Sky and Sydney all exchanged glances with one another as Jack continued on. "It was during the earthquake that hit a few years ago. Z slipped and almost fell into the ground that was opening up, but Giovanni grabbed her and saved her life. After that, Z saw him as someone who cared about her and became extremely loyal to him."

Bridge's expression had hardened and without realizing it, the green ranger had subconsciously grabbed Z's hand.

"Z was still a kid back then and she didn't know any better. Giovanni twisted her mind, convincing her that he was the only adult in the world that cared about her. Pretty soon, he had her working away in his little factory, until she was old enough to become a prostitute for him."

Syd gasped and tears began to fill her eyes. She looked at the still unconscious yellow ranger sympathetically. Sky wrapped an arm around her waist, offering her some comfort.

"And she wasn't the only one. Giovanni had lured other kids into his trap. Some were living on the streets, like Z was. Others felt that they had no one to turn too and he played on their insecurities and doubts. He had kids, and teenagers eating out of the palm of his hand because they felt that they had no one to turn too or anything to live for."

"Your friends from the streets," Syd whispered.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Giovanni had convinced everyone that he would protect and care for them. Rosanna was the first one to sell her body, followed by Larissa and then Michelle."

"But how did you meet Z?" Sky spoke up. "I mean, obviously you weren't part of Giovanni's scheme, were you?"

The red ranger whirled around from the window to face them. "No, I wasn't," there was sad look on his face. "Z was thirteen when I met her. At the time, Giovanni had decided that Z was old enough to sell her body to make money for him."

Sky tightened his embrace about Sydney as the pink ranger gave another gasp. A tear escaped and she rubbed it away, only to notice the look on her best friend's face. Gone was the usual friendly look on the green ranger's face, instead it was replaced with a look of fury. Syd took a sharp breath. She had never seen a look like that on Bridge's face before. This confirmed what she had been suspecting for awhile now; Bridge was in love with Z.

"Z's first assignment was a large, beefy man. She was already pretty scared and intimidated by the man's look. She was only thirteen; she wasn't ready for such a thing. But she felt she had no choice, after all, the man had given her a home."

They all listened intently as Jack continued to talk. The red ranger closed his eyes, losing himself in his memories. "It was really dark, and I was wandering around, trying to find a place to sleep for the night. I was walking past this alley when I began to hear screams and sobbing. And you know, I could never leave anyone in trouble, so I went to investigate. The man was trying to force himself on her, and she was trying to stop him. Her shirt was torn, and her pants were pulled down to her knees. She was a fighter, even though she was only thirteen."

"So what did you do?" Syd asked.

Jack gave a slight smile. "I grabbed the biggest brick I could find and knock the man over the head with it. Thankfully, the man hadn't been able to get that far, so all Z really needed was something to cover her top. I gave her my jacket and got her out of there."

"Oh my god," Syd gaped at Jack in horror, "That is so scary."

"Yeah," Jack paused and his hand clenched into a fist. "And now that bastard is free. We have to stop him at all costs. I refuse to let him torment Z or any of our other street friends anymore."

**-x-x-x-**

Bridge sighed as he watched Z and Jack drive out of the SPD parking lot in the official white SPD jeep. The yellow ranger had recovered from her fainting spell, waking up just ten minutes after Jack had finished telling them some of the events that had happened in Z's past. Immediately, she had sought for the comfort in Jack's arms, a frightened look on the yellow ranger's face.

It disconcerted him to realize that _he _couldn't be the one to comfort her –and he wanted to more than anything. It had hurt, hearing about Z's past. He had known Z had lived a hard life –but it wasn't like anything he had imagined. Hearing it through Jack's perspective had really shaken him up and he had desperately wanted to hug the yellow ranger once she had woken up. But instead, she had turned to Jack. And it hurt. To know that he couldn't offer the comforting embrace that Jack could, it physically hurt.

And now they were driving away to see their friends from the streets. Together.

Bridge sighed. There was no hope for him.

A hand reached out and gently placed it on his shoulder. He whirled around in surprise, and smiled slightly when he saw who it was standing behind him. Syd returned the smile and then moved to look out the window as she stood next to him. From where the pink ranger stood, she could see the white SPD jeep disappearing as it turned a corner.

"You love her." It was a statement, not a question.

Bridge didn't even bother to deny the statement and said nothing and continued to stare out the window. They both knew who Syd was talking about.

"You should tell her."

The green ranger closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not? She deserves to know."

"It's complicated."

"Bridgey, that's not the answer," Syd's voice was soft. "I've seen how you look at her."

"And how's that?"

"It's how Sky looks at me."

The pink ranger's statement stopped Bridge short. Had he really been that transparent? The green ranger sighed. "It's so much more complicated then that, Syd," he held up a gloved hand. "Even if I happen to tell her how I feel, and we get together as a couple, there's still the problem of my powers. How can we ever be together if I can't even hold her hand without my powers going crazy?"

Syd remained silent. A look of sadness came to her eyes.

Bridge let out another sigh and dropped his hand. "It's just not meant to be, so let it go Syd." The green ranger turned and walked away leaving the pink ranger to stare at his retreating back.

As she watched him walk away, Syd shook her head as a determined look came to her eyes. "I'm not going to let this go Bridgey. You deserve all the happiness in the world and I'm going to find a way to help you." The pink ranger took a deep breath and began to head toward the SPD library.

She had some researching to do.

**-x-x-x-**

"He _escaped?_"

Rosanna's cry caught the attention of other workers and Caleb and Larissa came running over to where they stood. The usual look of friendliness on Rosanna's face had disappeared and instead was replaced with a look of fear.

"_Who _escaped?" Caleb demanded to know. Beside him, Larissa stood, looking alarmed.

Z and Jack exchanged glances. "Giovanni," Z said quietly.

Rosanna let out another wail and fell into Caleb's arms. Larissa let out a gasp, one hand immediately covering her mouth, while her other hand covered her chest. She looked horrified. Caleb on the other hand looked thunderous.

"_WHAT_?" he roared. There was a breeze and it ruffled his dirty blonde hair slightly. His arms were still around Rosanna as he took a deep breath and contemplated the situation. "Okay," Caleb's voice was slightly cracked. "We've got to warn the others. Rosanna, do you think you're calm enough now?"

The red head nodded slightly.

"Okay," Caleb released her. "Rosanna, I want you to go find Michelle and Keegan. Larissa, go find Kathleen, Ian and Oliver. We have to warn everyone that Giovanni had escaped prison. Tell everyone to be extra cautious, go now."

Rosanna and Larissa nodded and scampered off.

"Do you really think he'll come after us?" Z asked Caleb in a small voice. Her eyes stared up at him, begging him to shield her from the truth. It was funny how just one name could frighten her beyond belief. She hated Giovanni. She hated everything he stood for –the yellow ranger didn't want to be reminded of her old life –not when her new life was so happy and rewarding. It just wasn't fair.

Caleb sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. The tone of Z's voice reminded him of the time when she had still been so innocent. The years of living on the streets and working for Giovanni had taken away all that and he now had a feeling that Z lived in constant fear of having to go back living on the streets. "There's no doubt in my mind," he said after a moment. "After all, we were the ones that helped put him in jail in the first place. Giovanni's not going to take that lightly, he'll be wanting revenge."

Z let out a tiny whimper. And Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Caleb stared at Z, and held her gaze. "We have to be ready for anything. My guess is, he's going to come after us, one by one. And we can't let him do that. We made a life for ourselves and we're happy. We can't let him take it away."

Z nodded, the ever present fear in her heart was showing on her face. She was prepared to do whatever she could to protect her friends and herself. The yellow ranger took a deep breath as the determination that she was known for came slowly creeping back. She wasn't going to let anyone take away her new life.

**-x-x-x-**


	5. Warning, Part 2

Can you believe it? I actually found time to write a new chapter! College is much more stressful than I thought –darn biology! I just started school last week and already I have tons and tons of homework. It's complete driving me mad and I'm wondering what I've gotten myself into! Anyway, I spent most of my afternoon and all of my evening writing this (it's past midnight right now), so I hope everyone likes it! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter –your response totally blew me away!

Note: No one beta read this yet, so if anyone finds any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them right away!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em.

**-x-x-x-**

Bridge watched from his beanbag chair as Z curled into a ball on the couch. The yellow ranger's head was resting on the arm of the couch and her arms were wrapped around her knees, watching as Sky and Jack played some video game. It was just the four of them hanging in the common room. Syd had disappeared off somewhere –Bridge hadn't seen the pink ranger since their little talk hours earlier. Sky and Jack were heavily into their video game, and judging from Jack's constant complaining and groans, it sounded like Sky was winning.

Z had been quiet and withdrawn ever since she and Jack had come back from informing their friends about Giovanni's escape. Bridge desperately wanted to know what was going on in her mind, but resisted the urge to read her aura. Despite her calm manner and Jack's insistence that she was okay, Bridge was worried about her. Gone was her spunk, and sassy attitude. And he desperately missed her wit. He had never seen the yellow ranger this depressed and frightened and he desperately wanted to change that. He wanted to do something –anything- that would snap the yellow ranger out of her stupor. He wanted her back to the way she was –smiling and making sarcastic comments.

The green ranger gave a tiny sigh as he stood up and dragged his beanbag chair over to where Z was resting. He sat down by her head and there was a long silence before he spoke, saying the first thing that came to his mind. "Are you hungry? I can make you some toast!"

Z raised her eyes from the screen and her gaze met Bridge's. "No thanks."

"You sure? It'll be a special –extra buttery and filled with strawberry jam!"

"Sounds appealing, but maybe some other time. I'm not very hungry right now."

Bridge was determined to get a smile out of her though. "How about we go check on Sam?" Z had a huge soft spot for the little boy she had rescued months ago.

"He's off playing with some of the cadets, Jack and I saw him earlier when we were coming in."

Bridge frowned, trying to think of an activity that Z would want to engage in. Why did women always have to be so difficult? He would never understand them. His gaze wandered over to the window. The sky was beginning to darken; the sun was going to be setting soon. Bridge thought for a moment, then, slowly, it dawned on him and he grinned. "Want to go for some ice cream?"

His grin widened and he fought the urge to smirk. He knew he had captured Z's attention now. That girl loved ice cream like no other. The yellow ranger had scrunched up her nose, looking torn. Bridge could almost see her arguing mentally with herself, deciding whether or not to get some ice cream or to continue sitting on the couch and brood. Finally, Z let out a soft sigh and smiled. "Okay."

"Great!" Bridge shot to his feet in an instant and mentally did a victory dance. Z had agreed to get some ice cream with him and he had also managed to make her smile. And the plus side: he got to spend some quality time with her. The yellow ranger let out a soft laugh as she stretched and stood up. Together, the two of them left the common room, Bridge bouncing out in his usual child-like manner.

**-x-x-x-**

The walk to the ice cream shop took only ten minutes, and it was too short for Bridge's liking. It wasn't often that he and Z were alone together, so he was trying to make the best of it. He gave his mint chocolate chip ice cream another lick before glancing at the yellow ranger beside him. "How about sitting down till we finish eating our ice cream?"

Z smiled. "Sure."

He felt his heart soar at that simple word and grinned happily. So they walked toward the park and sat down at a picnic table, enjoying their ice cream. The sun had set, giving off a nice yellowy-orange color around them.

"The weather is sure nice, don't you think?" Not sure what to do now, Bridge just started babbling to fill the silence between them. "It's going to be a really nice night; the sky will be all clear, no clouds in sight. The stars should be coming out soon. I think it's really cool how we can see stars at night. Have you ever tried looking for the constellations? Personally, the Big Dipper is my favorite."

Z smiled fully at Bridge's usual manner, taking a lick at her own ice cream cone. "When Jack and I were living on the streets, we used to go star gazing all the time. We haven't done it since we joined SPD though. I never really knew what the stars were called, so I don't know what the Big Dipper looks like."

His eyes widened. "You've never seen the Big Dipper? It's my favorite star ever! It looks like a spoon!"

The yellow ranger shrugged. "When you're living on the streets, the only thing you know is how to survive."

There was an effective silence. "How about we go star gazing tonight?" Bridge suddenly asked. The green ranger wasn't sure what compelled him to just ask her to go star gazing out of the blue. But it was too late to take it back, the invitation was already out in the open. "It seems like such a shame that you haven't seen what the Big Dipper looks like. I can show you all the constellations! And, I can teach you everything I know!"

Despite her mood earlier, Z suddenly found herself grinning widely and happily. "Sure Bridge," she held his gaze, "that sounds like a good idea. I'd like to learn about the stars."

Bridge grinned back and they sat for a few minutes, finishing their ice cream. It was dark by the time they returned to the Academy, they separated, disappearing to off into their prospective rooms to change into their pajamas. They met on the rooftop of the Academy twenty minutes later, and settled down. Z spread out an old ratty blanket that she had found, and they sat on top of it. There was a slight breeze, and as Bridge had predicted earlier, the sky was clear, there wasn't a single cloud in sight.

The green ranger stretched and laid flat on his back, trying to get as close to Z as he dared. He felt himself flush as the yellow ranger laid next to him. Their shoulders were touching and he could faintly smell her scent. He breathed in deeply. Her scent was very unique, it smelled of lavendar, peppermint, tangerines and cinnamon. He took another deep breath, she smelled delicious.

"So," Z spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. "What are we going to be looking at first?"

Bridge smiled, tucking one arm behind his head, and pointing up at the sky with his right hand. "Okay, see that star up there? Connect it to the stars that are facing it and then connect those stars that look like they're in a line. Do you see it?"

The yellow ranger squinted, trying to figure out which stars Bridge was talking about. "Not really."

"Okay," Bridge began tracing a rectangular shape in the air. "See that star that's in its own little patch of the sky?"

"Yeah."

"Connect that star down to the one below it," Bridge glanced to his left and saw that Z was nodded, so he continued. "Now, see those stars all in a line? Connect all those stars to the bottom star."

"Okay, got it. What now?"

"Do the same thing for the top."

Z continued to follow Bridge's instructions until she began seeing a picture. "It's like a rectangle."

The green ranger smiled, and shifted his arm, pointing out various stars. "Now connect that rectangle to the line of stars. See that one star that's an angle?"

"Yeah."

"Connect it," Bridge let his arm drop. "And that's the Big Dipper."

The yellow ranger stared up at the sky in wonder. "Wow! Hey, you're right, it does look like a spoon!"

Bridge felt a wide grin come to his face as he saw the look on Z's face. He wouldn't give up this night for anything in the world.

"Show me another one!"

Bridge let out a soft chuckle at the enthusiasm in her voice, before raising his arm once more. "Okay, look over there. See that one bright star? If you connect it to the stars around it, it takes on an unusual shape. That star is called 'Sirius' otherwise known as the dog star…"

**-x-x-x-**

On an empty street in a secluded area of New Tech City, Giovanni stood, staring around him. He was once a powerful man and he had no doubts that he would soon be again. Dark and potent. He had incredible agility and was as silent as an eagle during its hunt. There were two dead corpses laying at his feet, their bones broken, arms and legs bent at an angle, heads snapped backwards. His muscles still felt hard from the thrill of hearing their muffled screams as he tortured them for information.

Caleb Welling. Rosanna Thompson. Larissa Lee. Ian and Kathleen Corgan. Keegan Wallace. Michelle Brown. Oliver McAden. Elizabeth Delgado. Jack Landors.

Each and every one was still living in New Tech City.

Giovanni snorted. It had taken him almost two days to arrive on Earth. It had been a longer journey than he had originally thought. Darkness was surrounding him; the only source of light was the full moon above. Upon arriving, he had immediately taken to staying low in the shadows as dusk descended. The area he was in was dirty and the roads were cracked. This would make a nice place to hide and plan out his schemes of revenge. He had cornered the first two people he saw and much to his delight, they had been very useful. The two people he had tortured were easily influenced and also easy to scare and they had told him exactly what he needed to know. It was amazing what a few simple weapons and threats could do. Killing was nasty business, but he reveled in it. Besides, things were less complicated when people were dead. No secrets would be leaked and no one would be able to figure out what had just transpired –at least, not for some time.

Turning and leaving the dead bodies where they were, Giovanni headed toward a run-down house that looked like it hadn't been used in quite some time. It was dirty and moldy, but it would do for the time being. As he headed inside, he thought about what he had learned about his former 'children'. Caleb Welling, Rosanna Thompson, and Larissa Lee were working at the 'Light Years' factory on the southern side of New Tech City. Caleb ran the machinery, while Rosanna and Larissa packaged the clothing that the company produced. At a strip mall close by, Ian Corgan and his sister, Kathleen, were employed in a small coffee shop. Michelle Brown, Keegan Wallace, and Oliver McAden worked in a bowling alley three blocks over. And Elizabeth Delgado was working for SPD.

Now that was interesting. Who would've ever thought that skinny, little Elizabeth would end up working for the police?

Jack Landors was also working at SPD.

As he settled on an old, dusty mattress, Giovanni's eyes narrowed into little slits. He wanted revenge and he wanted it to be sweet. It was going to take some time to execute his next move smoothly.

He wanted to enjoy it to the fullest extent.

**-x-x-x-**

The sound of her doors swishing open woke her up. Z stirred, and then yawned before opening her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, before letting out a quiet groan. "What the hell are you doing here, Sky?"

The blue ranger grinned at her, looking a tiny bit guilty for waking her up. "Sorry Z, didn't mean to wake you. I wanted to surprise Syd with breakfast in bed."

She rolled her eyes and stretched. Pulling herself up into a sitting position, she looked over at the right side of the room. It was obvious that the pink ranger was still asleep. Z pulled back the covers, and stood up, rubbing left shoulder with her right hand as she did so. She walked over to her closet and pulled out her uniform. Grabbing her other necessary items, the yellow ranger began making her way towards her bedroom door. "Don't do anything naughty blue boy," she called over her shoulder as she exited the room, missing the blush that crept up Sky's cheeks.

She headed towards Jack's room, and entered without bothering to knock. The red ranger was just pulling on his uniform jacket. He turned and gave Z a grin. "Morning. What's up?"

"I'm using your shower," she announced, heading towards his bathroom.

"What's wrong with yours? I thought Bridge fixed it."

"Nothing's wrong with it. Sky's in my room, he's going to surprise Syd with breakfast in bed. I got the impression that he wanted to be alone with her."

Jack rolled his eyes at Z's usual sarcastic tone as she slammed the bathroom door shut. Twenty minutes later, they were heading toward the lounge, ready for breakfast. The room was empty –they were the first ones there. They each grabbed a breakfast tray and sat down.

"So," Jack took a bite of his bacon and looked at her. "You and Bridge came in late last night."

The yellow ranger rolled her eyes. "So? What's your point?"

He gazed at her with a serious look. "Is there something going on between you two?"

"No," she replied, taking a bite of her toast. "Why? Are you implying something?"

"Not at all," Jack held up his hands as if he was surrendering. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't be against it if something did happen between you two."

Z snorted. "Yeah right. No one would want to be with me."

"Don't say that," Jack suddenly snapped, and then his tone softened. "Any guy would be lucky to have you, trust me," The red ranger suddenly grinned. "And when you and Bridge hook up, I get to terrorize him."

Z rolled her eyes. "Right."

"Hey! It's the big brother code, you know. The big brother gets to threaten the little sister's boyfriend."

"Whatever you say."

"So what did you guys do last night that kept you out so late?"

"Well, if you must know, we went star gazing."

"Star gazing, huh? Sounds pretty romantic," Jack smirked.

Z rolled her eyes.

The doors to the rec room slid open and Bridge walked in. It was obvious that he had just woken up, his hair was dishevelled and his uniform jacket slung over one shoulder. The green ranger yawned before grabbing a breakfast tray and headed toward them.

"Speak of the devil," Jack grinned.

Bridge gave them looks of confusion as Z promptly stuck out her tongue at Jack. A glazed look came into his eyes as he sat down and he shook his head bending down to take a bite of his pancakes. The yellow ranger turned to him and greeted him with a bright smile. "Morning Bridge."

The green ranger swallowed. "Good morning!"

They ate in silence for a few minutes before alarms started blaring.

"_POWER RANGERS, PLEASE REPORT TO THE COMMAND CENTRE!"_

The three of them threw down their forks and rushed off to see what the alarms were all about. They ran into the command centre, where Cruger and Kat stood waiting for them. Moments later, Sky and Syd rushed in and they all stood in a line.

"What is it, Commander?" Syd asked breathlessly.

"Cadets, it's been reported that there are two dead bodies on St. Luke's Street. I want you to investigate."

The five of them nodded before rushing off to their prospective vehicles.

**-x-x-x-**

Like it? Hate it? Leave a review! I thought this seemed like a good place to stop. It was originally supposed to be longer, but, I've decided to add it on to the next part.

Note: I know nothing about astronomy and stars. Everything that I wrote about it in this chapter was everything I learned by briefly researching through Google. I like star gazing as much as the next person, but I was never really interested in learning about all the names and such!


	6. Warning, Part 3

Hey everybody! Sorry for the lack of update –school is still kicking my butt! Biology is the worst subject in the world, so much memorization and notes to take; its madness, I tell you! Anyway, now that I got that out of my system, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Btw, Pink-Green-White-4Ever has graciously offered to make me a page that holds all my current fanfictions and connect it to her site. She designed the graphics and everything and is running it. She's put so much hard work into it and I totally appreciate her efforts. Thank you so much! So please check out the website, (link should be in my profile) and leave some comments!

Note: No one beta read this yet. It's past 2:30am right now and my brain is fried. So if anyone finds any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them right away!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em.

**-x-x-x-**

He watched with interest from the window as the five figures –each in different colored uniforms- approached the dead bodies. Giovanni crouched down low, peeking through the ripped spaces that the ratty curtain provided. Only the first half of his head could be seen if one looked at the house window closely enough. There were no lights in the house, so his presence wouldn't be discovered by his shadow. And this area of New Tech City barely had any electricity for lights. The tall towers surrounding this area shielded the sun from shining onto it. He was safe –he could sit back and relax. His interest in these five figures only intensified as he sat back and listened to their conversation.

**-x-x-x-**

The doors to their SPD jeep loudly slammed shut as she and Syd jumped out of the vehicle. Within minutes, they were standing around the dead corpses.

"Oh, eww!" Syd looked revolted. "I think I'm going to be sick!"

Z had to agree. Her stomach churned. The bodies in front of them were badly beaten –to a point where nothing was recognizable. Blood was pooled around them, and torn clothing was everywhere. One body was obviously a female. Her arms were twisted in odd places and Z was sure that most of the bones were broken –there was just no way that an arm could be bent like _that._ If possible, the woman's legs looked worse off. One leg looked like it had been twisted backwards, while the other leg was bent an odd angle. It was too horrible of an image. Her clothes were torn, only bits and pieces covering her chest, there were bruises along her body and her eyes were wide open. Z shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. The woman had died with a look of fear on her face.

The other body, however, looked much worse. It was a man; at least, she _thought_ it was a man. The skull had obviously been bashed in, crushed by something she could only imagine. The rest of the body was indescribable, the sight was disturbing. '_Who in their right mind would do this?' _The yellow ranger couldn't stand it anymore; she turned away from the corpses, trying to block out the image in her mind and the smell.

Jack squatted and began inspecting the bodies. Sky stood by him with a data pad in his hand. "I think they've been dead for at least eight hours," the red ranger observed. "They've definitely been here awhile, it's starting to smell."

"It also looks as if the woman had been raped," Sky added, taking notes. "Look at her wrists. There was a bit of a struggle."

"I feel so bad for them," Syd said, sympathetically. The pink ranger raised the camera she was holding and snapped a picture.

The green ranger had taken off one of his gloves and had waved his hand around in the air, seeing if his powers could reveal anything. A series of images came towards him; it was sort of like watching a movie. He could see everything that had happened. A large, tall man approaching the two people. He could see the evil smirk and hear the malicious laughter. "Guys, the suspect is a tall, dark man," Bridge paused, squinting a bit. "Maybe about six foot. He has a thick beard, about an inch long. Thin, and wearing some kind of uniform."

Sky nodded, quickly jotting down the description.

"Hey," Syd suddenly spoke up. The pink ranger was staring at Z with a concerned expression. "Z, are you alright?"

The yellow ranger stood still, staring seemingly into nothing.

"Jack?"

Sky's voice rang out and Syd turned. The red ranger had gone still as well, his expression free of emotion. The pink ranger suppressed a shudder. The red ranger usually had a bright warm smile on his face. She had never seen Jack in such a cold manner.

Bridge quickly pulled on his glove and walked over to where Z stood. The yellow ranger had gone pale; her face was white as a plain sheet of paper. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Z? Are you okay?"

The physical contact seemed to bring the yellow ranger back and she turned to face him. "He's back," she whispered. "Giovanni's here. He's here on Earth!"

"Are you sure?" Syd came up to them.

"Yes," she whispered, shuddering a little. Bridge gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and that seemed to snap the yellow ranger back. "Let's get back to the Academy and report this to Cruger," she said with more bravery than she felt. She just wanted to get out of the creepy area.

"Yeah, I agree." Jack's voice was dark and they all recognized the underlying anger.

Sky quickly pulled out a white sheet, while Syd radioed the paramedics. The ambulance was able to get to their location quickly enough, and within fifteen minutes they were back in the jeep and on their way back to the Academy.

**-x-x-x-**

He leaned forward, as the figure in the yellow trimmed uniform turned away from the corpses.

'_Well, well, well_,' he thought, '_will wonders never cease_?'

Elizabeth Delgado was right in front of him. She had certainly grown up from the little skinny, dangly girl she had been. She was certainly beautiful now. Giovanni leaned back from the window and sat on the floor, contemplating. It looked as if time had been very good to Elizabeth.

He found her fear of him very arousing. Maybe when they meet again, they could have a bit of fun before she met her demise.

**-x-x-x-**

"I can't believe he's in New Tech City!" Rosanna spoke softly, cradling the phone to her ear.

"_I know," _came Z's voice at the other end. "_God Rosie, you should've seen the dead bodies. It was the creepiest thing I had ever seen." _

"And you're sure he's here?"

"_Yeah," _came the reply. _"Please, just be careful okay? I want all of you to be careful. Giovanni's already taken too much from us and he's proved that he's capable of killing. I don't want him to take you guys from me." _

"I don't understand how he was able to travel across the galaxy so fast!"

"_Tell me about it. Anyway, I have to get off the phone now; Cruger wants me in the simulation room. I'll call you later, okay?" _

"Okay, bye Z, stay safe!" Rosanna hung up the phone and returned to doing the dishes. She took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm. She needed to stay strong. She had been through too much shit to panic and worry now. She would keep her guard up though.

A wave of memories suddenly flew through her mind. As hard as she had tried to forget her past, she couldn't. It was hard to forget the pain, the terror, the hurt. The drugs, the abuse, her muffled screams. They would never really truly go away. As much as she wanted to forget, these memories would stay with her forever. Gently, she placed the plate she was hold back into the soapy water in the sink. She squeezed her eyes shut, as a tear slid its way down her cheek.

It wasn't fair. Why? Why her? Why did she have to grow up in a dangerous environment, while other girls had loving homes? Why did she have to sell her body, while other girls went to school and got to dress all pretty? Why did she have to endure with the emotional pain and the ugly scars on her body?

_Why? _

Another tear came, and another. Pretty soon, she was crying and she fell to the floor.

_His eyes traveled up and down, eyeing her hungrily. Rosanna tried to suppress a shudder as his eyes swept over her body. The air was thick and stuffy, smelling of booze. _

"_Oh yes," the man whispered, taking a step toward her. "Giovanni choose well."_

_Instinctively, Rosanna took a step backwards. Her eyes went wide when she saw the prominent bulge in the front of his pants and her fear escalated. _

_The man kept moving forward, and he smirked when he sensed her far. "You my dear, have a body that is beautiful. I will enjoy it immensely." He reached out and before she could move, grabbed her arm in a tight grip. _

_Rosanna let out a cry, and began to struggle. _

"_Now, now, let's play nice." _

_She struggled harder, but that only seemed to excite the man further._

"_Please… no…" she whimpered. "Please don't." _

_The man's hand began to push under her shirt and suddenly she was flat on the ground. She continued to fight, but it was no use, the man was too strong." _

"_No… please… stop… I don't want to do this… please… NO!" _

"Rosie? Rosanna!"

Strong arms pulled her into their embrace and for a moment, she panicked before relaxing a bit. Letting out a sigh, the redheaded woman buried her face into Caleb's chest, and sobbing for a few minutes. Once she had calmed down enough to stop crying, she pulled away.

Caleb was staring at her with a concerned expression. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Just some bad memories, you know?"

Caleb nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Z called," Rosanna said after a moment. "Giovanni's here on earth."

His jaw clenched. "I know." His gaze met hers, and for a moment, time seemed to stop around them. "I promise, I won't let him lay a hand on you."

Rosanna stared at him, her heart beating a hundred miles per hour. Caleb's expression was unreadable and she longed to know what he was thinking. God, he was so handsome. He was her rock, her protector, her savior, her everything. And she loved him.

Caleb was here. And he would protect her. She believed it with all her heart.

**-x-x-x-**

"There you are!"

Syd looked up from the book she was currently reading. Sky strode into the library with an annoyed look on his face, ignoring all the other cadets that were shooting him curious looks. He stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Syd smiled. "Well you found me."

The blue ranger didn't return the smile. Instead, he looked a bit angrier. "Are you mad at me for some reason?"

Her blue eyes widened with surprise and her smile faded. "No," she replied, feeling a bit confused. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know," his eyes flashed. "You tell me. Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?"

Syd frowned. "I haven't."

"Yes you have. Every time we have a free moment, you disappear before anyone can say anything. And yesterday, I asked if you wanted to go out and watch a movie and you said that you couldn't go because had something to do! You said the same thing the day before, when I asked if you wanted to go dancing!"

Feeling slightly guilty, Syd got to her feet and headed towards Sky, pulling him into a hug. His arms automatically wrapped around her waist and he buried his face into her hair. "I'm sorry," she cooed. "I didn't realize I was neglecting you. I guess I became too caught up in my research project."

Letting out a sigh, Sky pulled back, his interest peeking now that his anger had faded away. "What are you researching?"

Quickly, Syd filled him in on her project.

Sky listened as his girlfriend explained her idea in full detail, his eyes filling with love as she spoke. He was so proud of her. When Syd finished, he had only one thing left to say. "Can I help?"

**-x-x-x-**

The day was bright and cheery, the Academy was buzzing with life but Z found herself walking around like a zombie. Days had passed since her last conversation with Rosanna and ever since the day they had investigated those bodies, Z hadn't been able to sleep properly. The yellow ranger slumped tiredly onto the couch in the common room. She was exhausted, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. She just didn't feel safe anymore. Memories of her past were haunting her, preventing her from getting a good night's rest. Damn Giovanni, damn him to hell.

The doors to the common room slid open with a _whoosh_ and Z glanced up to see Bridge walking in. For some reason, seeing the green ranger made her feel better, and she smiled a bit. "Hey Bridge," she greeted.

At the sound of her voice, Bridge turned. Seeing her, he made a beeline for the couch, plopping down on a bean bag chair in front of her. "Hey," he smiled, then took a closer look and frowned. "Still can't sleep huh?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

"Come on," Bridge stood up, and held out a hand to her. "Let's get you to your room and get you to bed."

"I have to patrol in a few hours," she protested slightly. She didn't want to fall asleep.

But Bridge was insistent and shook his head. "Nope, come on. If not, I'll carry you. And you're not going to make me do that, are you? I mean, I wouldn't mind and all, but I'm not sure if I can carry you all the way to your room. Not that I'm saying you're heavy and all, it's just that my arm still hurts from the last battle we had with Gruumm and-"

"Okay, Bridge," Z interrupted, slowly getting off the couch. "I'm going, I'm going."

Bridge grinned. "I can still carry you if you want."

"Nah, its okay."

They headed into the room that Z shared with Syd. The yellow ranger moved to her closet to grab her pajamas and walked into the bathroom to change. Moments later, she was out and settled into her bed. She glanced at Bridge questioningly. The green ranger had settled down in Syd's desk chair and was looking at all the posters on the wall.

"Aren't you going to leave?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm going stay here and make sure you get a decent nap. No interruptions and all."

"Really?" Z was touched. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course! Now get to sleep!" Bridge grinned at her.

Z smiled. "Thanks Bridge." She laid down in her bed and settled in, pulling her blanket up to her chin. She gave a Bridge quick glance. Smiling, she closed her eyes.

She felt safe.

**-x-x-x-**

Note: Again, this chapter wasn't beta read. I apologize for any mistakes found! I tried my best to catch them all, but I'm exhausted. I'll come back later and fix the mistakes. Review!


	7. Warning, Part 4

Hey everybody, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! As usual, college is still kicking my butt. Biology is such a pain! But I won't bore you with my excuses, so let's continue on with the story, shall we?

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

**-x-x-x-**

He stood outside the tiny house watching as the shadows moved behind the curtain. He flexed his fingers in anticipation, his right hand curled around the handle of a small knife he had found. Tonight would be the night of phase one. Giovanni took a deep breath, relaxing his muscles. It wouldn't do any good to get ahead of himself. He had spent four years in prison planning this, and he would be damned if he messed it up now. His hand tightened around the handle of the knife, and his eyes narrowed. Revenge was sweet and there was nothing better than to hear the horrified sounds of someone screaming. He would find the information he needed, and then swoop in for the kill.

Nothing was going to stop him tonight.

Nothing.

**-x-x-x-**

The only sounds in the house were that of plates being stacked into a pile in the dishwasher. A girl with long chestnut hair glanced at her companions in the kitchen as they cleaned up. Michelle Brown was not a girl that was easily intimidated. She had suffered, but she liked to think that she had become stronger because of all her suffering. She was not going to let Giovanni run her life like he once had. Glancing at her friends, she realized just how scared Larissa looked. The poor girl was trying her best not to show it, but how do you hide a look of fear when it was obvious everything in your body was shaking from fright?

She glanced at her other companion. Oliver didn't look frightened, but she knew deep down inside he was worried. Oliver looked up and caught her gaze. Instantly, she knew what his eyes were trying to say. They both knew that it was only a matter of time before Giovanni came after them. They would be able to fight and they weren't afraid of dying, but Larissa was a different story.

The small petite girl could've been a movie star in another life. With long raven hair, soft hazel eyes and other exotic asian features, a sweet personality and a flair for drama, everyone believed that Larissa could've gone far. To put it simply, Larissa was a lover, not a fighter. She hated confrontations and usually tried her best to avoid them. She wouldn't be able to hold on her own if… _when_ Giovanni confronted them.

It would only be a matter of time.

Life wasn't fair. Michelle knew that. It still didn't stop her from wishing her childhood had been different though. If only _all_ their childhoods had different. Girls like Z and Larissa didn't deserve to live on the streets. Hell, _none_ of them had deserved to live on the streets. Her street life had tainted her and left a hideous scar –both physically and emotionally. Because of Giovanni, she had been molested, beaten, slaved, verbally and emotionally abused… it had scarred her and her past would never be something she would be proud of. There was only her future and her future was looking bright. She would make something of herself. There was no way she would let Giovanni control her ever again.

Michelle's thoughts were broken when she heard a loud crash. She reacted, turning around sharply to see several shards of glass on the floor and Larissa shaking.

Larissa looked stricken. "I'm sorry!" She cried.

Michelle felt her motherly instincts take over. "Oh honey," she said, moving to where her best friend stood. She wrapped an arm around the younger girl's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry, it's just a plate."

Oliver looked concerned, but made no move to comfort Larissa. At the moment, he would let Michelle handle her. "I'll go get the broom and dustpan," he offered and then disappeared down the hallway, giving the girls a moment alone.

"I'm just so scared!" Tears began falling down Larissa's cheeks. "I just have this feeling that something really bad is about to happen. Like someone is watching us! What if it's Giovanni?"

"Shh," Michelle soothed. "Whatever happens will happen. You can't let fear control your life. If Giovanni finds us, then we'll deal with him, okay?"

Larissa sniffed and nodded, looking a bit more reassured. In truth, Michelle was pretty frightened herself, but wouldn't let her fear show itself. Her best friend didn't need that right now.

Oliver came back into the kitchen, carrying a dustpan and a broom. Wordlessly, he cleaned up the broken pieces of the plate and carefully wrapped the shards in a newspaper before throwing the bundle into a plastic bag.

"Thanks Ollie," Larissa whispered.

"It's no problem," Oliver replied and then opened up his arms. Larissa moved from Michelle's embrace to Oliver's. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held on tight. "We promise we won't let anything happen to you, okay? You've got big dreams ahead of you, there's no way we're letting anything get in the way of that."

Larissa sniffed, burying her face into his chest. "Okay."

Shifting, Oliver moved Larissa to one side and opened up his other arm. Michelle grinned and joined the group hug. The three of them stay that way for a few minutes more, each enjoying the warmth of the embrace.

"Well, well, well… look what we have here. Am I interrupting an important moment?"

The cold voice made them freeze. The air suddenly seemed colder and time seemed to slow down. Slowly, the three of them released each other and turned towards the kitchen doorway. Michelle's eyes went wide, and Larissa let out a tiny gasp, looking fearful. Oliver moved so that he was shielding Larissa and standing next to Michelle.

Giovanni stood in the doorway of the tiny kitchen, his hand fingering the knife in his hands delicately. His presence made the room seem much smaller somehow, but Oliver tried his best to show no fear. "How did you get in here?" He hoped that his voice didn't betray the nervousness he suddenly felt.

"Naïve little Oliver McAden," Giovanni shook his head, his malicious grin was apparent as his gaze swept over them. "You should know by now, that I can do anything I want."

"Leave." God, he couldn't sound more intimidating if he had tried.

Giovanni's eyes flashed. "I don't think so. Not until I get what I've come for."

**-x-x-x-**

_Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. _

Bridge gritted his teeth as he leaned back against the chair he was sitting in. He had half a mind to throw Syd's alarm clock out the window. Gosh, it was so annoying. Or maybe he could go find his hammer and smash it into tiny pieces… but then Syd would probably get mad and the last thing he needed was his best friend angry at him. Still, the annoying ticking that the clock was making was worth it. Watching Z sleep had to be one of the best things he had ever done. He was just content to sit there and watch… she was holding nothing back when she was sleeping. He loved seeing the soft smile on her face as she dreamt… she was like an angel…

The doors slid open and Syd slumped through, looking thoroughly exhausted. The pink ranger looked surprised to see him sitting in her desk chair, but all she did was shake her head. She threw the notebook that she had been holding on to her nightstand and flopped onto her bed. Rolling over so that she was facing the green ranger, she grinned tiredly at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Bridge motioned to the sleeping yellow ranger across the room. "Making sure she's getting her sleep," he whispered back. "She's been exhausted for the past few days."

Syd gave him a knowing look and sat up.

Bridge inwardly groaned. "Don't even go there, Syd."

"But-"

"I mean it. Give up on it."

"You should still tell her-"

Bridge glanced at Z's still form. "Let it go Syd," he whispered as quietly as he could. It would be just his luck if Z woke up during this conversation. "It's not meant to be. It won't happen."

"You never know-"

"Syd!"

The pink ranger fell silent at Bridge's gaze, but she refused to back down and glared right back. Bridge sighed. Syd had always believed in fairy tales and happily ever after… didn't she realize that life would never be like the stories? But then again… Bridge had to admit Syd was living the life of a fairy tale… sort of… the incident with Jake, Sky saving her, the two of them dating… yeah, she definitely had her own fairy tale and now Syd was out to make everyone else's life happily ever after as well.

Syd relented and sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry Bridge. I was out of line."

He instantly forgave her. Bridge could never stay mad at anyone for very long. "It's alright." The green ranger gestured toward the notebook Syd had been holding when she had come into the room. "What's that?"

Syd glanced at the worn notebook nonchalantly and shrugged. "It's just something Sky and I are working on," she replied.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Bridge questioned.

"Don't worry about it," the pink ranger dismissed. "Anyway, how long have you been in here? Are you hungry? I noticed that you and Z weren't at dinner tonight."

At that moment, Bridge's stomach rumbled, causing Syd to giggle. "Yeah, I guess I am hungry," Bridge said sheepishly.

"Why don't you go get something to eat and then get to bed?" Syd suggested. "It's almost time for lights-out anyway."

Torn between wanting to stay and getting something to eat, the green ranger glanced at Syd. His best friend smiled, causing him to smile back. He was sure that Syd would be there to take care of Z if the yellow ranger needed anything when she woke up. "Okay," he agreed, giving Syd a brief hug before turning to leave. He gave one last glance at Z's sleeping form before the doors slid shut.

Syd sighed, watching as the doors closed behind the green ranger. She glanced at the other side of the room, watching her roommate sleep for a moment. She shook her head. "Oh Z," she said softly. "If only you knew how much Bridge loves you." Her gaze landed on the notebook on her nightstand. Bridge deserved all the happiness in the world. Hopefully, between her and Sky, they would find a way to help him.

**-x-x-x-**

_Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. _

Z awoke to the sound of Syd's alarm clock on the other side of the room. Rolling over to her side, the yellow ranger groaned softly. _'Note to self, must smash Syd's alarm clock and then get Sky to buy her a digital one,'_ she thought as she sat up in her bed. Quickly, she glanced at her own nightstand and groaned at the time. 12:08am. She had slept away for most of the day.

Pulling back the covers, Z found her slippers and stood up, heading toward the common room to get something to drink. Her stomach rumbled and she suddenly realized she was starving. She had missed lunch and dinner. The hallways were dead quiet as she walked toward the common room. She was surprised to find the lights in the common room on as she entered. But a quick glance at the tables took away her surprised and she smiled. "Hey," she greeted, heading toward the table and sitting down across from him.

"Hey Z," Bridge replied, setting his cup of hot chocolate down. "Sleep well?"

"You have no idea," she replied. "I could've still been sleeping if it hadn't been for Syd's damn clock! That damn thing woke me up."

The green ranger laughed. "It is annoying, isn't it?"

"I don't think annoying is the word to describe it," Z shot back as her stomach rumbled again. "God, I'm starving."

"We can fix that," Bridge jumped up and headed toward the small kitchen.

The yellow ranger stared. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Bridge began pulling out various pots and pans. "Making you something to eat, what does it look like?"

"Why?" Z was curious, and she couldn't help but smile. "I can just get something from the food replicator."

"That processed stuff?" Bridge made a face, causing Z to laugh a little. "Trust me, what I make will taste a lot better."

"I didn't know you can cook," Z rested her elbows on the table, her cheek in the palm of her hand.

"There are lots of things you don't know about me."

"Where did you learn to cook?"

"Sky taught me," Bridge moved toward the refrigerator and opened the door, pulling out some butter. "They were holding this cooking course here at the Academy a few years ago. Sky's mother made him sign up."

"Really?" Z was interested. "What about you?"

"Well, this was before I joined the Academy. So when I arrived, Sky already knew everything and taught me a few things."

"I see," Z paused. "So, what are you making me?"

"Spaghetti sound good?"

"I've never had spaghetti."

"Really?" Bridge stopped and looked incredulously at Z. "Then, you're going to love it. It's my favorite food of all time."

The yellow ranger shrugged. "Well, when you're living on the streets, you tend not to be picky about what you eat."

Bridge nodded. "And the food replicator doesn't make it. So, I guess this is your lucky night! A Spaghetti Special, courtesy of Bridge Carson!"

"Is it better than your buttery toast? 'Cause that was yummy too."

"Way better," Bridge replied, fiddling around with the cooking utensils. "And since, the sauce was made a few days ago, all we really have to do is wait for the noodles to cook."

"Who made the sauce?"

"Sky and I did. Sky wanted to plan this romantic dinner for Syd, so I helped him cook everything. But for some reason, the dinner never happened."

Z shrugged.

Pretty soon the common room was filled with a delicious aroma. Z took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. "It smells so good."

Bridge grinned and walked toward her, holding a large steaming plate of spaghetti. He set the plate down in front of her and handed her a fork. "Enjoy."

Tentatively, Z reached for the fork and stuck it into a pile of noodles. She twirled a mouthful of noodles around the fork and stuck it in her mouth. Bridge watched eagerly as she chewed.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Bridge, this is delicious!" Z grinned, sticking her fork back into the steaming spaghetti.

The green ranger grinned, feeling very proud of himself. For the next twenty minutes, he sat in silence as he continued to watch Z eat happily. God, she was beautiful. He had never met anyone like her before. Smart, spunky, sassy and fun all rolled into one. He was convinced that he would never meet another person like her.

Z let out a contented sigh as she set her fork down. "That was so delicious, Bridge," she said again. "Thank you."

The green ranger blushed. "It's no problem."

They sat there for a few moments just smiling at one another. Finally, Bridge realized that he was staring and adverted his gaze, clearing his throat as he did so. "So…" he trailed off, having no clue what to say. He ran a gloved hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in many places. The yellow ranger giggled. The leather gloves had caused some static electricity and now the green ranger's hair was standing up on its end in various spots.

"What?" Bridge asked, looking a little confused at Z's apparent state of laughter.

She shook her head, trying to stifle her giggles. With his hair standing up like that and the confused look on his face, Bridge was so adorable at the moment.

_Thump. _

The yellow ranger stopped giggling abruptly. She sat up a little straighter. "What was that?"

Bridge looked perplexed. "What was what?"

Z was silent for a minute. Then shook her head when she heard nothing. "Never mind, it must've been my imagination."

The green ranger shrugged.

_Thump. _

Z let out a sharp breath, and she sat up straight once more. Her brown eyes darted from side to side. "Did you hear that?"

"No…" Bridge said slowly. The green ranger suddenly looked tense.

_Thump. Thump. THUMP. _

"Okay, now I know I'm not imagining it!" Z stood up and headed towards the doors.

Bridge jumped up and was now following her. "I heard it that time too."

The hallway was dim with florescent lighting as they walked rapidly. Z felt her heart begin to pound and a sense of dread filled her. She just knew that something bad was about to happen. They ended up at the Academy entrance, and found nothing.

Z squinted in the dim lighting. "Do you see anything?"

The green ranger shook his head. "Nothing."

_Thump. Thump. THUMP._

"It's coming from outside," Bridge said suddenly as he realized where the noise was coming from.

The yellow ranger slowly reached for her morpher. "Should we wake the others? Or investigate on our own?"

"Let's check things out on our own first. After all, we're still at the Academy. We can press the emergency button on our morphers in case we need any help," Bridge replied.

Z nodded. Cautiously, they both headed towards the doors. The motion sensors detected their presence and on cue, the doors slid open. A figure slumped forward, catching both rangers by surprise.

"Lights turn on!" Bridge commanded. Instantly the hallway was illuminated in bright light.

"Bridge," Z grabbed the green ranger's arm. "This person, she's hurt!"

They both rushed forward toward the fallen figure. It was a woman with long black hair. Her clothes were all torn and there was blood everywhere. Z knelt beside the figure, careful not to move her and pushed her hair out of her face. The yellow ranger went pale and gasped in surprise, her eyes wide with horror.

"What is it, Z?" Bridge asked, kneeling down beside the yellow ranger.

Z couldn't answer. The figure in front of her was Larissa.

**-x-x-x-**

Well, what did you all think? Be sure to review!

Pink-Green-White-4ever and I have started working on a set of challenges that was issued at the Ars Amatoria's Ranger Romance Website. There are forty challenges and the first one is already posted under PGW4ever's account, so be sure to check it out!


	8. Emotions Come Out

Wow, I seem to be in an updating mood today! I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it all meant so much to me that you're still sticking with me even though the updates aren't as frequent as they were before, and school is just simply kicking my butt! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, I don't have any tests for awhile the next few weeks, so I'll be working on most of my stories!

Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

**-x-x-x-**

_Three days later…_

She stared blankly at the figure in front of her, tears stinging her eyes. Larissa was confined to a bed, IVs and other things were stuck to her arm. Her forehead was heavily wrapped and so was her stomach. It was a miracle that Larissa was even alive.

Z tore her gaze away from Larissa's limp form and stared at the corner, choosing to focus on that instead. But no matter what, the image of Larissa lying on the Academy floor stayed with her. In her mind's eye, she could see the pretty Asian falling onto the ground and the blood everywhere…

Bridge had immediately paged the infirmary once he saw Larissa sprawled out on the ground. She was thankful for Bridge, he had been able to remain calm when she hadn't been able too. The sight of her friend all injured had made her freeze… the horrific gashes, the bruises, the broken bones… seeing Larissa like that scared her to no end.

Without a doubt, Z knew that Giovanni had done this to her. At the moment, her friend was still alive. But who knew when Giovanni would strike again? To make matters worse, Giovanni had raped Larissa before letting her escape, she shuddered to think what else he would've done. She was more frightened than ever, who would be next? Caleb? Rosanna? Herself? Jack? She hated not knowing and all the unanswered questions running through her mind. He had already gotten to Michelle and Oliver.

Tears made their way down her cheeks as she thought of Michelle Brown and Oliver McAden. Michelle had been like the older sister, the one you went to whenever you had a problem. And Oliver had been her partner in crime growing up; they had been the same age so they had often played together. And now they were dead. The yellow ranger squeezed her eyes shut as the truth sunk in even more. They were dead, gone.

Their bodies had been slashed, bent in odd places like those corpses they had found on the street a few weeks ago. She and Jack had thrown up when they had gone to investigate. Seeing Oliver and Michelle that way, it had been too much for her. The tears made their way down her face even faster as she relieved the memories of their time together. Sure, they hadn't had the best of life, but they had had each other. And now they were gone.

Z brought her gaze back to Larissa. She shifted in her chair; bringing her legs up and resting her chin on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. _'Please wake up soon, Larissa. I don't know if I can stand to lose another member of my family.' _

**-x-x-x-**

He rubbed a gloved hand to his forehead, trying his best to block off all the negative feelings surrounding him. He tried, but he knew it was impossible. Jack was angry beyond belief, but under all that anger, there was a sense of sorrow. Caleb and Rosanna were mourning for their friends and so were the various people with them. Sky and Syd had disappeared off to who knew where, leaving Bridge alone to deal with everything.

Well, at least that was what it felt like.

Bridge sighed softly, rubbing his forehead. For the past three days, things had been in chaos. Everyone had been so emotional, and even though they had a right to be, it was starting to take a toll on him. After Larissa had been admitted into the infirmary, he and the other rangers had gone directly to where Michelle and Larissa had lived.

And the sight they had found had not been pretty. Z and Jack hadn't been prepared to see the brutal attack on their friends and had promptly gotten sick. And rightly so. Bridge couldn't even begin to imagine the pain they were going through. It was obvious that all of Jack and Z's street friends were a wreck. He hadn't been introduced to all of them yet, but Jack had briefly introduced him to Caleb and Rosanna.

Grief. Anger. Sorrow. Confusion.

He felt helpless. Usually, he'd be able to cheer a person up, but this time he couldn't. He couldn't do anything to help ease everyone's pain. His head was pounding.

The doors to the common room slid open and Sky and Syd walked with Commander Cruger. Syd took one look at the green ranger and immediately took action. She headed over to where he sat, Sky following. She sat down next to him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Bridge, go get some rest okay?"

"But…" he protested feebly.

Syd shook her head. "No, everything is becoming too much for you. Go rest okay? We'll take care of everything."

"Yeah," Sky interjected. "You need a break."

Bridge nodded. His head was pounding way too much from all the negative energy in the room. He smiled gratefully at his friends and stood up. "Thanks guys." He made his way towards the doors and as soon as they slid shut behind him, his headache began to lessen. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He made his way to his room, and flopped down onto his bed. The green ranger stared at the ceiling for a minute or two before rolling over to his side. His gaze caught sight of a framed photo on his nightstand and he sat up and reached for it. The gold frame lay in his hands, and he smiled, the memory of the day coming back to him.

He was positioned right in the middle. Syd and Sky were on his right and Z and Jack were on his left. They all had their arms around each other and were grinning widely for the camera. The picture had been taken on a day that had been one of celebration. They had, had a picnic in the park, with Sky's and Sydney's parents around and it had been a day filled with fun. Bridge would never forget that day.

It had been the day he had discovered he was in love with Z.

Bridge placed the photo back on his nightstand and stared down at his hands. These gloves… these gloves were his prison. He would never be free from them. Would he ever be able to feel someone else's soft skin in his hand? Sometimes he hated being a psychic. Being a psychic had brought him lots of pain, and lots of loneliness. And yet, being a psychic had brought him lots of joy as well. His gift had brought him friends, gave him the joy of helping people. But the downside was that he was still isolated. He would never truly belong.

He stared at the photo and his eyes landed on the smiling faces of Syd and Sky. His best friends. The two people in the world that knew him the most. They had been the first to not run away at the sight of his powers. His eyes landed on another photo. This time it was one of himself and Z. Syd had taken the photo at the picnic. The green ranger grinned. He and Z had potato salad on their faces from their little mini food fight. It was his favorite picture of all time. His eyes reverted back to the group photo, back to Syd and Sky's smiling faces. Would he ever be able to hold Z's hand the way Sky held Syd's? Would he ever be able to just pop up out of no where and kiss Z's cheek like Sky did with Syd? Would he ever be able to do anything normal?

The questions were pointless, he knew. He stared down at his gloved hands once more. These leather gloves were his prison and he knew that. He would never be normal; he would never be able to hold Z's hand. As long as he had these powers… he wouldn't be able to experience all the wonderful things that Sky and Syd were experiencing. Sighing sadly, he laid back down and slowly fell into a wistful sleep.

**-x-x-x-**

He set his pen down and yawned. Glancing at the clock off to the side, he saw that it was a little over past midnight. It had been a long day and he was tired. Sky stretched and glanced at his girlfriend sitting on his left. Syd was still writing furiously in her notebook as she had an hour ago. The blue ranger shook his head. He stood and moved to where she sat and gently snatched her pen away from her.

"Hey!" she protested.

"It's time to take a break now, Sydney," Sky ignored his girlfriend's protests. "We've been working all day."

"But Sky, we're so close!"

"I know, but we need a break. We've barely had any sleep the last three days, what with Giovanni attacking Z's friends, Grumm and our regular duties. We need our rest too."

Syd sighed and nodded. "You're right." The pink ranger stood up and began gathering their things together. "It's just that we're so close, I can practically see the look on Bridge's face when we tell him!"

"I just hope all our researching is going to pay off," Sky sighed as they began walking back to their rooms. "I'd like to see Bridge truly happy for once."

"Me too."

They stopped right outside Syd's bedroom doors. Sky smiled softly and pulled Syd close. Leaning down, he kissed her lips softly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Casting one last glance at each other, Syd turned and headed inside her room. The pink ranger gave a happy sigh and then yawned, the past few days' events were finally catching up to her. Her room was semi dark, and a quick glance at the other side of the room told her that her roommate was asleep. Syd sighed softly and shook her head. Poor Z. That girl had been through so much the past few days and it was starting to take its toll on her. Syd smiled softly, knowing that Bridge would do everything he could to cheer the yellow ranger up. The pink ranger changed into her pajamas and climbed into her bed. She turned off the remaining lights and slowly fell asleep.

**-x-x-x-**

Giovanni grinned with delight as he sat down. Three down, a couple more to go. Larissa wouldn't survive the night, he knew. He stared at the wall, his next plan forming deviously in his mind.

Michelle was gone. Oliver was gone. Larissa wouldn't survive much longer. Mentally he went down the list.

Ian and Kathleen Corgan.

Keegan Wallace.

Caleb Welling.

Rosanna Thompson.

Elizabeth Delgado.

And Jack Landors.

His eyes narrowed and he licked his lips in anticipation. Ian and Kathleen Corgan would be next.

**-x-x-x-**


	9. Heart to Heart

Hey guys! I am so, so, so, SO SORRY for the lack of updates! I've been extremely busy with school and midterms and whatnot. But that's really no excuse, is it? I'm trying my best to update regularly, I promise. College is really a pain. I can't wait for our next break. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Thanks for sticking with me and still reviewing even when updates aren't as frequent as before.

Anyhow, this chapter is dedicated to _Anastasia Athene_ because she is such a huge Bridge and Z fan, and because she is always to enthusiastic in her reviews! _AA_, I enjoy reading your reviews for this story the most, so keep them coming!

Disclaimer: I really don't own the Power Rangers, because if I did, Sky and Syd would've gotten together a long time ago (winks)

_xxx_

_"Anytime you need someone, somebody strong to lean on, well, you can count on me_". - bridgesandskys66

_xxx_

The room was dark when he awoke. Slowly, he sat up as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Bridge glanced at the digital alarm clock sitting on his night stand. 4:08am. He had been sleeping for eight hours straight. Pulling back his covers, Bridge reached for his green sweatshirt that was lying on his desk chair, and pulled it over his head before standing and heading out of his room. The green ranger padded down the hallway, toward the Common Room. Entering, he immediately headed over to the replicator and punched a few buttons, then retrieved the water bottle that it had provided.

He took a few large gulps of the water and then took a deep breath. He felt a lot better than he had the day before. He quietly moved to sit down on one of the couches, and leaned back, closing his eyes as he did so. After a minute, he frowned.

Something was wrong.

He opened his eyes and for the first time, felt some psychic residue. He blinked and suddenly saw colors of olive, grey and brown –some of the more negative colors. The colors of the residue were very faint, but he was willing to bet that the residue was still around the Academy. Whoever this person was, he or she was hurting.

Ever the compassionate one, Bridge jumped up and began following the light trail of emotions. He headed out of the Common Room, and walked past the Command Centre. He lightly shuddered as he passed the spot where they had first found Larissa. The trail of emotions become stronger, and the colors flashed more brightly as he neared the stairway that led up to the rooftop. He climbed the stairs and took a deep breath as his hand reached for the doorknob. Mentally, he prepared himself to comfort whoever was on the other side of the door.

Slowly, he twisted the knob and pushed the door open. His breath caught. Z was sitting at the edge of the roof, her feet dangling over the ledge. Sadness filled him at the yellow ranger's obvious pain. From Z's aura, it was obvious that the yellow ranger was miserable and frightened. She was so caught up in her current pain that she was failing to see all the joys in life that was still surrounding her. More than anything, Bridge wanted to make that pain go away.

Quietly, he closed the door to the rooftop and headed toward her. Z didn't acknowledge his presence as he sat down, but he knew that she knew he was there and she didn't seem to mind that he had joined her. In fact, judging from her aura, she seemed almost comforted.

It was silent for a few moments before he spoke. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked softly.

She shook her head. "Too many nightmares and bad memories," she replied simply.

Silence fell between them again. After a minute, he glanced over at her and realized that she was shivering slightly. Quickly, he took off his sweatshirt and wordlessly handed it to her. The yellow ranger took the green sweater, giving him a brief smile as she slipped it over her head. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"No problem." There was another brief silence between them. "Want to talk about it?"

Z shuddered and for the first time, he noticed the puffiness of her eyes and the dried tears on her cheeks. Quickly, he scooted over and wrapped an arm around her. Their positions were a little awkward and Z shifted and was soon leaning against him, their feet dangling over the ledge of the rooftop. Bridge closed his eyes, savoring the feeling as he felt Z lean against him. He held on to her tighter, he had to make the best of this situation.

A wave of guilt washed over him as he realized he was taking advantage of the situation at hand. Now was not the time to be thinking of his feelings, he scolded himself. Z needed someone. He felt angry with himself… but she felt so good leaning against him…

"I miss them," Z suddenly spoke, interrupting his thoughts. Bridge shifted a bit more and focused his attention on the yellow ranger. The green ranger immediately knew that Z was referring to Oliver and Michelle. "I know," he replied softly.

"They had always protected me, you know? Michelle was like my older sister, and Oliver had been my partner in crime."

He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Tell me about them."

Z twisted a little so that she could look up at him. "Do you really want to hear about them?"

"'Course," he replied. "They were important to you and anything that is important to you, I'm interested in hearing." Bridge blushed faintly as he said those words, but he kept a steady gaze with Z. He had meant every word. The yellow ranger gave him another smile, this time her smile was a little brighter. It made his heart soar.

Z turned back into her original position against his chest and stared at the slowly brightening sky. "Michelle was the fun older sister. She wasn't like Rosanna. Rosanna was the strict older sister –she always wanted everyone to stay close together and not do anything that would attract attention to us. But Michelle, boy, she was tough and she did things her own way. She was the one that we went too when we wanted to do something fun. She was funny and always made us look on the bright side of things."

"Sounds like she was a great person," he commented.

She met his gaze once more. "You would've liked her."

"I'm sure I would have. Tell me about Oliver."

"Oliver," the yellow ranger paused. "God, what can I say about Oliver? He's like the male version of me."

Bridge chuckled and nudged her, prompting her to continue.

"We drove each other crazy, we were just too alike. We played together a lot while we were growing up on the streets and we had a lot in common. Our parents died and we were sent to orphanages that we both hated –we were like kindred spirits." They sat there for an hour or so as Z told him about her friends. Eventually, Z told him all of her fears.

"I'm afraid he's going to take the rest of them away from me too," Z spoke softly, staring up at the sky. "Larissa's life is still hanging on the line, but I know she's not going to make it. Things don't look too good for her."

Bridge stayed silent as Z continued to talk.

"I can't help wondering who Giovanni will go after next. Will he go after Rosanna? Caleb? Kathleen? They're my family, and they're all I have left."

Bridge sucked in a deep breath. "That's not true!" he told her sharply.

Z twisted around, staring at him with wide eyes.

"They aren't all you have left. What about Jack? And Syd? And Sky? And you definitely have me! Incase you didn't realize it, we're your family too!"

Z continued to stare at him.

"And don't forget Commander Cruger. And Kat. And Boom. And even RIC! We're your family too, Z! Don't EVER forget that!"

Tears filled her eyes, and she smiled at Bridge. She _had_ forgotten… "Thanks Bridge."

He flashed her a grin and instead of responding, he wrapped her up in an even tighter in a hug. Z's aura was looking a little brighter now.

They sat for another hour, enjoying each other's company as the sun began to rise. There was a comfortable silence between them as they sat –they didn't need any words. Z rested comfortably against Bridge, feeling content for the first time in days.

Bridge squeezed her arm. "I want to you know," he said softly. "That you don't have to keep on that tough exterior all the time. Or think that we would ever abandon you. We're your teammates, we would stand behind you all the way. You just have to trust us."

For her part, Z realized that she felt totally safe and secure in Bridge's arms. It was as if being in Bridge's arms protected her from all her negative feelings. There was just something about Bridge's presence that was comforting and she realized, she did trust him. Maybe almost as much as she trusted Jack. In fact, without her ever realizing it, she trusted all of them. Bridge had certainly been there for her when they had found Larissa. And Syd too. The pink ranger had given her all the time she needed, knowing that Z would come talk to her when she was ready. And even Sky. He hadn't expressed any emotions on the matter; instead he had shown her that he cared through his actions. He had taken on all her duties while she had been off in her own little world. She and Jack were very lucky, Z realized. They had found some of the best people in the world. She smiled fully for the first time in days. "I trust you."

Bridge grinned. "That's good to know."

The yellow ranger leaned further into Bridge's chest and sighed softly. Faintly, she could hear the steady beating of Bridge's heart. _'This is nice,' _she mused softly._ 'I wonder if this even comes close to what Syd feels in Sky's arms.'_

And indeed, it did feel nice. Never had Z felt so safe, so secure. Never had she let her guard down completely. Bridge had a way of making her feel safe, and she liked that a lot. She glanced up at Bridge and the green ranger smiled down at her. She was aware of her heart pounding and how she suddenly seemed to notice the color of Bridge's eyes. They were brown, and they reminded her of chocolate, she mused. All of a sudden she had a huge craving for chocolate. Maybe she would invite Bridge out for a chocolate sundae after she visited Larissa today…

Bridge nudged her, effectively breaking her thoughts. She continued to look up at him, but now her gaze was one of confusion and a little bit of embarrassment. Had she been staring at him for too long? His smile became wider. "Don't miss the sunrise," he said softly.

Z shifted so that she was facing the view once more and her breath caught. The view was absolutely beautiful. The sun basked the city in a nice orange glow, as people began their activities for the day. She could hear the birds chirping and feel the breeze slightly. She took a deep breath. She hadn't felt like this… ever.

All too soon, good things must come to an end. Nearby, a clock tower chimed six times and Bridge sighed ruefully. "Time for duty."

"Do we have too?" Z whined. She didn't want to move.

He chuckled. His laugh sent shivers down her spine, and she suddenly felt happy that she had made him laugh. "Well, you and Jack won't have too. Sky and Syd have your duties covered, so that you can have time to mourn for your friends. But I sure have too."

Z shuddered. She didn't want to go back to a place where things were dark and where reality hit. She wanted to enjoy the sunrise a little longer and not be afraid. But most of all, she didn't want the comfort she felt around Bridge to go away. She took a deep breath and gave him a pleading stare. "Can I follow you today?"

Bridge grinned, feeling pleased and glad that he had been able to help her in someway. Z's aura was looking a lot brighter. There were hints of yellow and that meant she was sort of happy and calm once again. If her following him meant that it would keep her that way, then he was all for it. Plus, he wouldn't mind at all, he enjoyed her company and he would get to spend even more time with her. "Sure," he replied. "I'd like that."

_xxx_

Well, what do you guys think? I just thought we needed some more Bridge and Z moments in this story since the last couple of chapters have been somewhat heavy. Anyway, don't forget to review!


	10. You've Got a Friend in Me, Part 1

Hey everyone! I know updates are fewer than before, but as usual, I've been really busy with school! But don't worry; I have every intention of finishing this fic. It's just that my school year is busier than I expected. I'm going to try and update this fic every two – three weeks at the very latest!

Thanks to everyone that is still sticking with me and reviewing every chapter. Your patience means a lot!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers, because if I did, Sky and Syd would've gotten together a long time ago (_winks_)

Note: Someone made an interesting comment in one of the reviews for the last chapter. I wrote that Bridge had brown eyes, but _its buttery_ stated that Bridge's eyes are blue. I went back and watched a couple of episodes on my dvds and indeed, Bridge's eyes are blue! So, for the sake of this story, let's pretend that his eyes are brown alright? (_grins_) Thanks _its buttery_ for bringing that to my attention!

_xxx_

_You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you trust too little. -_Unknown

_In the sweetness of friendships, let there be tears and let there be laughter. Let there be sharing of pleasures and pain. For in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. -_Unknown

_xxx_

He stared at the moldy walls in shrouded darkness. His breathing was hard and he growled with frustration. He should've seen this coming. He should've known that this would've happened. Take one giant step forward, only to be pulled back two steps. He had been so intent on revenge that he hadn't been able to see the big picture until it was too late.

Never had Giovanni expected Larissa to make it to the SPD Academy.

He thought that it wouldn't have matter if he didn't stay around to make sure she was dead before leaving. He thought that she would have definitely died shortly after he left. He had been so giddy, so filled with triumph that he had missed one very important detail.

Larissa had been still alive when he had left.

And he knew it.

He had been so arrogant to believe that she wouldn't be able to do anything. A big mistake on his part. Somehow, that little bitch had managed to find her way to the Academy and had given the others a warning. Well, maybe not a total warning. At the moment, Larissa was still unconscious so she wasn't able to tell anyone anything.

Giovanni slammed a fist against the wall in frustration and growled louder. His eyes were bright with fury. He had made a mistake. _His_ mistake. How could he have been so... so _stupid_? And now, Caleb, Rosanna and all the others would be staying inside the Academy. With security doubled around them, no doubt. How the hell could he have over looked this fact? He should've made sure Larissa was dead before leaving. He hated when things didn't go according to plan.

His eyes darkened. No matter. He would think of another plan. He had come too far and had gone to deep to stop now. He was going to get what he wanted, one way or another.

_xxx_

Empty.

That was exactly how she felt for the last few days.

Completely empty.

Well, maybe not completely empty. Just a deep sense of loss. And grief, extreme grief. Rosanna Thompson had been through a lot in her life, but never had she dealt with losing someone she was close too. And in this case, she had lost two people that she had extremely cared about.

She stared at the white walls around her and then at the bed from across her. She knew she was being protected by staying at the SPD Academy, but it certainly didn't make her feel safer. It had been Jack's idea for them to be moved to the Academy. She and Caleb had done so without hesitation, especially after they had heard what had happened to Oliver and Michelle. She continued to stare at the bed, thinking of how wrong it was for her to be alone in this room. Michelle should've been her roommate. Or even Larissa. The first night should have consisted of chatter and happy laughter.

Instead, she had spent her first night at SPD alone.

She wouldn't be alone for long though. Soon, Kathleen, Ian and Keegan were going to be there. The three of them were due to arrive as soon as their work shift ended. Jack had taken extra precaution; he and Commander Cruger would wait for each of them, once their shifts were done and drive them back to the Academy.

Kathleen was going to share the room with her once she arrived. Caleb was already sharing a room with Jack. Ian and Keegan would occupy the room across from hers. Rosanna drew her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She rested her chin on her knees and sighed fitfully. There was a knock and Rosanna stared at the doors, not sure what to expect. There was another knock.

"Come in," she called hesitantly.

Automatically, the doors slid open and in walked a blonde girl. Rosanna stared at her, unsure of what to say. She suddenly felt intimidated, like she wasn't good enough to be in this girl's presence. Her mind flashed back to her time on the streets... when she would pass by the convenience stand… the blonde girl that was standing in front of her would be on all the magazine covers… beautiful, poised and glamorous. What was her name again?

The blonde smiled warmly at her and held out a breakfast tray that she was carrying. Rosanna was so overwhelmed that she hadn't noticed the food until it was in front of her. She then shifted so that she was sitting cross-legged and gingerly reached for the tray. Her hands shook a little as she set the tray on her lap. "Thank you," she didn't know what else to say.

"You're welcome," the blonde gave her another warm smile and Rosanna felt reassured somewhat.

Carefully, Rosanna reached for the fork that was lying on the tray and stuck it into a piece of bacon and ate it.

"Is it alright?"

She nodded. Rosanna didn't need to add that she had never tasted bacon as good as this before. The truth hung unspoken in the air.

"I'm Syd," the girl introduced herself.

Now Rosanna remembered her name. Syd. Sydney Drew. Singer, actress, Olympian, this girl standing before had done amazing things. Things that Rosanna would never even have a _chance_ to do. Her mind flashed back to the time she was living on the streets, a few years back… when she and Larissa had discussed a magazine that Larissa had found lying on the ground that someone had discarded…

"_Hey, whatcha got there?" Rosanna asked as Larissa came into the factory, grinning. _

"_The latest issue of MIO," Larissa replied, holding out the magazine she had found. "I found it on the ground. Someone must've dropped it."_

"_Anything interesting?" _

"_Yeah!" Larissa excitedly flipped to the page she wanted and showed Rosanna the article. "Did you know Sydney Drew just joined SPD?" _

"_Who's Sydney Drew?"_

"_She's one of the most popular singers out there right now! And she's done so many things," Larissa continued to talk excitedly. "She won gold for diving in the Olympics two years ago, and last year she was named one of the best actresses under the age of eighteen. She's like my idol!"_

"_Let me see that," Rosanna reached out for the magazine and studied the article in front of her. "She's pretty," the redhead observed, feeling a pang of envy rush through her. This girl had everything. "She probably has the perfect life." _

"_I wish I could be like her," Larissa stared at the magazine wistfully. _

_Rosanna didn't say a thing. She stared at the magazine, also wishing that she could be like Sydney Drew. _

Rosanna blinked and realized that she was still staring at Syd. The redhead blushed and quickly looked down at the food in her lap. "I'm Rosanna," she mumbled softly.

Syd smiled. "That's a pretty name."

"Thank you."

There was an awkward silence now, even Syd noticed it. The pink ranger stood still, unsure of what to do. Finally, after a lot of internal debating, she decided to leave, after making one last attempt at conversation. "Umm… we're about to eat lunch in the Common Room, would you like to join us? Or you can stay here, if you want."

Rosanna looked up and saw the sincerity in Syd's eyes, and bit her lip, still feeling shy.

Syd saw the internal struggle and smiled. Rosanna did want to join; she just didn't want to feel out of place. "I think your friend Caleb is going to be there," she said gently, "Last I heard, he was hanging out with Sky. I'm sure he'll be looking for you. And you can wait for Jack to come back with your other friends too."

_Caleb?_ Rosanna's heartbeat rose. Well, if Caleb was going to be there, it wouldn't be so bad. She wouldn't feel so out of place. And Z would be there too. She allowed a soft smile come to her face and nodded shyly. "Okay."

Sydney grinned. "Great, come on!"

_xxx_

He stared at the man in front of him, observing him quietly. He seemed like a nice guy, Caleb realized as he watched Sky prepare the food at the counter. He could tell that Sky was a hard worker and was someone that you could trust to remain loyal to you. Briefly, he wondered why Sky was doing this. Treating him as if they were equals. As if he hoped that they could become friends. Didn't Sky understand that people like him weren't friends with people from the streets? It was socially unacceptable. Caleb had long ago learned that he wouldn't be accepted by anyone. That he would remain an outcast, only accepted by others who had been through what he had. But Sky, it seemed, either didn't understand or didn't care. There was no pity in Sky's eyes and Caleb couldn't understand why. When people looked at him, their eyes always showed pity.

Earlier, Jack had asked Sky to show him around the Academy and the blue ranger had immediately agreed. And thus, Caleb found himself being dragged all around the building while Sky showed him excitedly where everything was. It seemed as if Sky had made his life all about SPD, Caleb had observed. Now, he was sitting on one of the stools at the counter top, watching as Sky spread out some mayonnaise on a slice of bread.

"Would you like tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"

Sky's question came from out of nowhere, startling Caleb out of his thoughts. He stared at the blue ranger, unsure of how to respond and feeling a bit uncomfortable.

On the other hand, Sky looked sheepish and didn't seem to notice his reaction. Instead, the blue ranger seemed to interpret his stare in a different way and shrugged. "I know, I know. It's original, right? I would cook something, but the stove seems to be broken at the moment. And trust me, you really don't want to eat any of the stuff the replicator makes, it's disgusting."

"He's right about one thing, the food from the replicator is disgusting, but the stove should be working just fine. Boom fixed it this morning."

Startled, Caleb turned at the sound of the new voice.

A blonde girl walked in, wearing a uniform similar to the one Sky was wearing, only it was edged in pink and had a skirt. His eyes lit up as he saw Rosanna walking in behind her. He caught her eye and smiled when she headed straight for him. As soon as Rosanna set the tray she was holding down onto the counter, he immediately opened his arms and the two hugged. He looked down into her eyes and saw the fear that he felt. And he immediately felt more at ease than he had all day. He wasn't alone…

Over the top of Rosanna's head, he observed Sky as the blonde girl greeted him. He watched as she gave Sky a brief kiss on the lips and gave him a tight hug. His eyes were softer, Caleb noticed. Okay, so maybe Sky's life wasn't revolved around SPD as he had originally thought. It seemed like this girl had a pretty important part in his life too. Caleb felt a pang of envy rush through him.

It seemed as if Sky had everything. A happy family, a great job, and a wonderful relationship with the girl he adored.

It must be nice to be normal.

_xxx_

Content.

That was exactly how she felt at that moment. Content.

Pure content.

It was as if being with Bridge could take away every single bad thing in her life. She hadn't felt this safe in a very long time. It was almost as if he could understand her without knowing anything. He just _knew._ That thought was comforting but it also scared Z more than anything.

Z shook her head, erasing all thoughts from her mind. She and Bridge were in the Command Centre, the green ranger was lying on his back and fixing one of the consoles, while she was just sitting nearby on a stool. She had no reason to be scared, it was Bridge. She knew she could trust Bridge.

Was it strange that she had suddenly noticed the color of Bridge's eyes this morning? Was it weird that she suddenly noticed that Bridge had _very_ nice muscular arms? Why had her heart rate gone up, when he had smiled at her? He sure had an adorable smile…

"Can you hand me that wrench?"

Bridge's voice interrupted her thoughts and she suddenly realized that she had been thinking about him again. She blinked. "Huh?"

Bridge sat up slightly and leaned on his elbows. He gave her a puppy dog expression that just made her heart melt. Did he even know that he made that face all the time? "Can you hand me that wrench?" he repeated.

"Oh." She quickly picked up the wrench and handed to him. "Here you go."

He flashed a smile at her before leaning back down. "Thanks."

He went back to tinkering with the machine and Z continued to watch him. It was strange; she had seen the boys working out in the gym before, but never had she noticed their physique. For one thing, checking out Jack was just plain gross. Jack was her brother, to put it simply. She'd rather gag and throw up before she said that Jack's form was hot. She shuddered, not in this lifetime, no thanks. Checking out Sky was also another _no no_. Syd would skin her alive, if she ever caught her staring at Sky. Not that she wanted to, anyway. Sky was definitely _not_ her type. He could be just as annoying as Jack, if not more. Besides, the yellow ranger certainly did not want to be at the end of one of the pink ranger's iron fists. That was like asking for death to come early. Though, Z grudgingly admitted to herself, Sky's form was not at all bad. And Bridge? Well, checking the green ranger out had never even crossed her mind.

Until now, that is.

Z stared at Bridge, suddenly noticing the green ranger in a new light. Bridge _definitely_ had a nice form, if one looked closely enough. His upper body was covered by the console that he was working on, but she could see his arms working steadily. It was funny how she had never noticed how muscular his arms were before. When he was standing next to Sky, or Jack, he looked skinny, but once you take a closer look, it was like _wow. _

Was it weird that she wanted nothing more than to run her fingers over his bare arm and feel his hard muscles?

Briefly, she wondered what Bridge would look like without a shirt on… then shook her head and blinked. She froze. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't be having these thoughts about _Bridge_… she shouldn't be having these thoughts period!

She continued to stare at Bridge, a bewildered look etched on her face and her heart pounding a mile a minute. Questions that she had never thought to ask before were now running through her mind.

_xxx_

Jack sat in the passenger seat, next to Cruger as they waited for Keegan, Ian and Kathleen to finish working. The red ranger fiddled with his morpher, internally debating with his inner self on whether or not he should confide in somebody with his secret. At first glance, it looked like Jack was perfectly fine, but a closer glance at the red ranger's face said otherwise.

He hadn't slept a full night since he had heard that Giovanni had broken out of prison. Sometimes he wouldn't be able to sleep at all, and other times he woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for air. There were dark circles under his eyes, indicating the exhaustion he felt from the sleepless nights and training. He wasn't his usual cheery self. Instead, he was withdrawn and quiet.

The others, with the exception of Z (who was too caught up in her own pain to notice anything), had noticed his dark moods, but assumed that he was grieving for Oliver and Michelle or worrying about Larissa, who was still lying in a coma in a hospital bed. Jack didn't have the heart, or the energy, to tell them otherwise, though Bridge could've figured it out if the green ranger really wanted too. Fortunately, Bridge was too caught up with Z to notice.

Yes, he would miss Michelle and Oliver, but their deaths hadn't affected him the way it affected Z. Unlike Z, Jack had never been close to them, but knew them well enough to know that they had been kind-hearted people. He was sorry that they had been brutally murdered by Giovanni. And Larissa, he was sorry for what had happened to her too.

But, his thoughts were more troublesome than that.

The red ranger knew that Giovanni was after him, and that he was probably high on the list. The others thought that Giovanni had a vendetta against him because he had helped put the jerk in prison. Well –that was part of the reason. There was also another part to it… a large part.

He knew exactly why Giovanni was coming after him. He knew what Giovanni was after and he knew that Giovanni knew that he knew where it was. For a moment, Jack debated whether or not to tell Cruger what he knew, but then decided against it. It wouldn't do any good now and no one, except him, knew where it was. The more people that knew his secret, the bigger the chance they had of becoming Giovanni's target. He would keep his mouth shut unless it was _absolutely _necessary that he had to tell someone.

"Are you alright, Jack?"

Thoughts broken, Jack glanced next to him. Cruger was staring at him with a serious, hardened expression and the red ranger involuntarily swallowed. He hated that look. It made him feel as if the commander could see right through him. He took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm fine, sir."

The commander gave him another stern gaze, one that told him that his response was unbelieving. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Jack?"

Jack squirmed a bit, feeling uncomfortable and he began fiddling with his morpher even more. He shifted and avoided the commander's expression by staring out of his window. "No, sir." Good, his voice sounded even. He could feel Cruger's gaze on him and he fought the urge to jump out of the vehicle and run away.

"Alright, Jack. Just remember that you can always come to me if you need any help."

The red ranger couldn't help but let out a tiny sigh of relief and gave Cruger a grateful look. "Thank you, sir. I'll remember that."

Cruger nodded.

"Hey, Jack!"

The red ranger shifted and looked out the window. There running towards him, was Kathleen, looking especially pretty for her eighteen years, and following her, was her older brother Ian, and Keegan. Jack sucked in a breath and quickly jumped out of the jeep, plastering a wide smile on his face. He opened his arms and greeted Kathleen was a warm hug, and then released her to shake both Ian and Keegan's hands.

"You guys ready?"

"Ready more than we'll ever be," Keegan replied.

"Come on," Jack gestured to the jeep where Cruger was waiting. "Let's get you guys back to the Academy."

_xxx_

Note: Well, that was the end of the chapter! Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long, eh? I totally blame it on school… college is evil, I tell you, EVIL! Anyway, I've been nominated for some awards! I just wanted to thank everyone for nominating me, I'm flattered! (_grins_) Make sure you vote for your favorite authors!


	11. You've Got a Friend in Me, Part 2

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I must say, the flow of comments sure blew me away! Anyway, here's the second part –enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize!

_xxx_

_Most of the things we decide are not what we know to be the best. We say yes, merely because we are driven into a corner and must say something. _

_-Anonymous_

_xxx_

To Kathleen Corgan, the ride to the SPD Academy was both long and short. To her, the ride was short because she had never been in a vehicle that was as fancy as the one she was currently sitting in. And the ride was long, because she couldn't wait to see the Academy. She didn't know which she was more excited for, the fact that she was in a nice car, or the fact that she would be able to see all the fancy stuff they had at SPD.

She supposed it was a tie between the two.

For a girl who had literally grown up on the streets, she was living her life full of hope and without fear. She was tough, but she wasn't bitter about her past. What set Kathleen apart from her friends was the fact that that she was able to accept her past for what it was and truly put it behind her.

She continued to bounce up and down in her seat, barely able to contain her excitement.

On her left, Ian shifted. "Stop being annoying," her brother muttered under his breath.

She immediately stopped bouncing around. "Stop brooding," she shot back.

"I'm not brooding."

"Yes, you are!"

"Shut up, you guys," Keegan cut in, stopping the argument. There was now silence in the back seat.

After about ten more minutes of driving, Kathleen spotted the Academy come into view. She started bouncing up and down in her seat again, letting out a quiet squeal. She turned to Ian. "Look, there it is!" she whispered excitedly.

"Whoopee," her brother stated sarcastically.

Kathleen stared at Ian curiously. "What's with you?"

"Nothing," he grunted.

"He's just excited," Keegan spoke up, looking amused at their antics. Kathleen grinned at him.

Ian shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, imagine my excitement," he said dryly.

Kathleen frowned, her excitement dimming a little, as she wondered why her brother was being so negative. She continued to stare at him as Commander Cruger pulled the jeep up to the Academy entrance, where there were already a few people waiting. She tore her gaze away from Ian, figuring that she'd beat the truth out of him later, and turned her attention to the people that were waiting for them at the front doors. As soon as the car came to a full stop, she climbed over Keegan's lap and jumped out, rushing at the person closest to her. "Caleb!" she squealed.

Ian let out a sigh, watching his sister greet their friends enthusiastically. Together, he and Keegan exited the car slowly and quietly. As they headed toward the others, Keegan elbowed him in the side. "What's with you?"

"Nothing."

Keegan gave him a disbelieving look. "Yeah, right."

Ian sighed again. "Tell you later," he muttered. He plastered on a fake smile as they stopped in front of Caleb and Rosanna. Opening his arms, he greeted Rosanna with a hug. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his sister carefully watching him and internally rolled his eyes and then shifted so Kathleen wasn't in his line of sight anymore. As he released Rosanna, his gaze wandered to the people that were still standing at the entrance of the Academy. A short, blonde girl and a taller man with dirty blonde hair. He eyes them up and down, unsure of what to think of these people.

"Welcome," Cruger was talking and Ian gave the big blue dog, his attention.

"As you all know, you will be staying here at the Academy for your own protection. We hope to be able to capture Giovanni as soon as possible, but in the meantime, please make yourself at home. If you need anything, one of our cadets will be happy to get it for you."

Ian rolled his eyes and tuned out the rest of what Cruger was saying. So that was it, he thought crossly. Cruger just wanted them around so it would be easier to catch Giovanni. They were bait to lure out the enemy. Once they caught him, SPD would have no more use for them and they would be thrown back out onto the streets without another thought.

Ian snorted as Cruger finished his speech. They couldn't trust SPD at all.

_xxx_

Bridge had finally finished fixing the control panel and now they were currently organizing the tools and cleaning up. The yellow ranger watched at Bridge carefully, suddenly noticing the large somewhat dangling ID bracelet hanging from his wrist. Z shifted so that she was able to read his name on the tag.

Her eyes widened a bit. The ID bracelet had said "Bridgey" in bold letters.

Syd had given him the bracelet.

Z felt the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Before she knew it, she was asking him about it. "That's a nice bracelet. Where'd you get it?"

Bridge glanced briefly at his wrist before returning his attention to his toolbox. "Thanks. It was a birthday present from Syd two years ago."

"Oh," she paused. "Why does she call you Bridgey, anyway?" Z shifted her position on the stool and tried to make it sound like she was curious. "She's the only one who calls you that."

The green ranger shrugged. "I don't know, it just happened. Syd's always called me that. It's her nickname for me."

"Oh, really?" Z crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he nodded, oblivious to the sudden change in her mood. "Syd and I used to hang out a lot before we met you and Jack. Sky was always off doing his own thing, and Syd and I were the only other members of the B-Squad. She just became my best friend."

Now, she felt a little confused. "I thought Sky was your best friend?"

"He is," Bridge answered, shrugging once more. "It's kinda hard to explain though. Syd and I tell each other things that we don't tell Sky or anyone else."

Z nodded and fell silent. The yellow ranger frowned a little at the sudden feelings that were sprouting up at this newfound revelation.

"You wanna hear something funny?" Bridge suddenly started up the conversation again, making Z smile brightly.

"Sure," she replied.

"I used to have a crush on Syd."

Z felt her smile fade away in an instant. "You did?" Why did her voice come out sounding like someone had run her over? Something in Z began to rise and suddenly she felt her pulse quicken.

"Yeah," Bridge nodded and smiled, looking thoughtful. "I was fifteen back then and Syd had just started her first year at the Academy."

Her eyes widened. "Oh," she said numbly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the rest of the story.

The green ranger nodded once more. "She was really glamorous, you know? There's just something about Syd that pulls you to her. I think just about every male cadet in the Academy had a crush on her."

Z's heart was beating rapidly and she didn't know why. She felt hot all over and without realizing it, the yellow ranger had clenched her fists. "Even Sky?"

Bridge let out an amused laugh, still oblivious to what the yellow ranger was feeling. "Are you kidding? Especially Sky! I think he was the one who had a massive crush on her the most, and that fact irritated him. Sky was so harsh on Syd that first year of training together."

"Did Syd ever find out that you liked her?" The yellow ranger sucked in a deep breath and waited for his answer.

"Eventually I told her," he replied, his face scrunching up into the cute look that he always had. "By the time I told her, I was over that crush. We laugh about it every so often, nowadays. Besides," Bridge shrugged. "It wouldn't have worked out anyway."

Without realizing it, Z let out a sigh of relief. "Why not?" she asked.

"Well… we lacked the chemistry. We made better friends, trust me on that. She was like the older sister I never had. And besides, I started sensing that she had deep feelings for Sky and vice versa."

"Oh," Z nodded. But before she could comment, there was a loud _swooshing _noise and Syd burst into the Command Center with an excited look on her face. "There you guys are!" she exclaimed, grinning widely. "I've been looking everywhere for you guys!" The pink ranger turned to Z, "Ian, Kathleen and Keegan are here!" she told her. "They're in the common room waiting for you!" Syd then turned to face Bridge and grabbed his gloved hand. Z felt an indescribable emotion wash over here as she watched the pink and green rangers.

"Come on Bridgey," the pink ranger tugged his hand. "I need to tell you something!"

"Uh… okay," Bridge looked confused as he allowed himself to be dragged away. "See you later, Z!" he called.

As Syd pulled the green ranger out of the Command Center, all Z could do was glare at the pink ranger's retreating back.

_xxx_

The common room was filled with noise, but Z took no notice. The yellow ranger sat in between Keegan and Rosanna as she tried to pay attention to the lively conversation that Jack and Kathleen were having. It was like old times, but Z found that she couldn't have cared less. It was unbelievable. She hadn't seen Keegan, Kathleen and Ian for a long while and now, when she finally had a chance to see them and catch up, all she could think about was the way Syd had grabbed Bridge's hand.

She glowered as her mind kept replaying the image.

The yellow ranger knew she was being absurd. After all, she knew that the pink ranger was madly in love with Sky and that she was the best of friends with Bridge. And she had seen Syd and Bridge interact with each other before and it hadn't bothered her then. So why was she suddenly feeling this way?

_Because you're jealous,_ her mind told her.

Z immediately froze at the thought.

"Hey Z, are you okay?" Keegan's voice cut into her thoughts. "You just kinda went ridged on me."

"Huh?" Six pairs of eyes stared at her with curiosity. The yellow ranger quickly shook her head. "It's nothing."

The others shrugged and their conversation resumed.

Z continued her train of thought with a puzzled feeling.

Was she really jealous?

_xxx_

"Syd, can you please stop pulling my arm?" Bridge complained as the pink ranger dragged him along the hallway. "I kinda need it for future uses, you know."

"Sorry Bridgey," Syd continued to grin as she let go of his hand. "I'm just so excited!"

"For what?"

"You'll see!" The pink ranger stopped near a closet and pulled open the door to retrieve an umbrella.

He looked at her strangely. "What do you need an umbrella for?"

"You'll see!" Syd repeated before moving behind him to push him forwards once more. "Now, come on! We're wasting time!"

"For what?" he protested as Syd kept pushing him.

"Just keep moving!"

"Syd! I can _walk_, you know."

The pink ranger ignored his protests and continued to push him from behind. Bridge was sure they made a strange sight as they walked along the hallway, because people were staring at them strangely. The green ranger didn't really care though, he more concerned about the pink ranger. Had Syd finally lost it?

He continued to allow Sydney to forcefully push him around the Academy as she collected more and more strange items. Aside from the umbrella, she also managed to find a mop, a dust pan, a small bag of strawberries, a fluffy white towel and a rubber ducky. What in the world was going on?

As tiny as she was, Syd managed to hold onto all the items she found and still physically push him around. Bridge was beginning to feel awkward. People were staring and were now beginning to whisper and point. Syd ignored everyone and pushed him until they were going through the entrance of the common room.

If he hadn't been so embarrassed, Bridge would've laughed at the looks on everyone's faces. They did make a strange sight after all, Syd pushing him from behind and carry all the items she was holding… he didn't want to imagine what they looked like. He winced a bit; the handle of the mop was beginning to dig into his side. Jack and Z's friends stared at them like they had grown two heads. Jack look like he wanted to burst out laughing and Z…

He didn't have time to register Z's expression as Syd pushed him forward.

"Hi guys!" The pink ranger greeted everyone cheerfully, waving the dust pan around as she attempted a wave. Before he could utter a greeting, he was pushed forcefully into his bedroom with Syd following him. "Pick up your pillows!" she ordered in a bossy tone. "And bring something personal with you too!"

He gave his best friend a puzzled look, but did as she asked. He picked up his pillows and reached for his favorite photograph from his nightstand. Syd smiled, knowing exactly which photo he held in his hands. Then without warning, she started pushing him back out into the common room.

"Syd!" the green ranger exclaimed, finally feeling irritated. He ignored the stares that they were receiving. "I can walk! Maybe if you –"

"Hush!" The pink ranger hissed. "Keep moving!" She gave a quick glace at everyone in the common room that was watching them. "Bye guys!" Then she gave him a look as she pushed Bridge into the room she shared with Z. "Move it!"

Bridge was sure that Syd would make an excellent sergeant for the military one day as he stumbled into Syd's room. He let out a huff of annoyance as the pink ranger deposited all the items she had collected in a corner of her room.

He then turned and was shocked to discover Sky sitting on the pink ranger's bed, waiting for them.

"It's about time you guys got here," Sky looked annoyed as he crossed his arms. "I've been waiting for almost forty-five minutes!" The blue ranger shot Syd a significant look. "You said you would only take fifteen minutes!" He accused.

"Sorry," Syd apologized; turning her lips into a pout and her eyes widened a bit. Even though he didn't know what was going on, Bridge fought the urge to snicker as he watched his friends. Few could get past the pink ranger's puppy dog expression and he knew that Sky wouldn't be able to stay mad any longer once Syd turned the expression him. Sky was doomed.

Sure enough, after a minute or so, Sky's frown left his face and the blue ranger let out a sigh. "I hate that look," he grumbled. "What took you guys so long anyway?"

"Had to track him down," Syd nodded at the green ranger, "and I had to grab random stuff so we could test out our theory."

"Ah," Sky nodded.

"What theory?" Bridge interrupted, before Syd could say another word. He stared at both the pink and blue rangers. "What's going on? Is there a reason that Syd is dragging me around the Academy and making us look like we're crazy?"

His friends exchanged glances and that brought up the green ranger's guard. "Guys?" he said, slowly. "What's going on?"

Syd and Sky shared one more glance, before the pink ranger took a step forward. "Bridgey, we think we've found a way for you to go without your gloves," she said gently.

There was a long silence and for a minute, Bridge was sure that he had heard things incorrectly. "What?"

Now Sky spoke up. "We think we've found a way for you to control your powers without wearing your gloves."

Bridge felt something collapse inside of him. He stared at his friends, possibly speechless for the first time in his life. He glanced at Syd. The pink ranger was grinning from ear to ear, Syd was hopeful; he didn't need to take off his gloves to see that. His gaze then shifted over to Sky. The blue ranger looked apprehensive, but like Syd, he also looked hopeful. Bridge then glanced down at his hands. Sturdy leather gloves stared back at him. Had Sky and Syd really found a way to break him from his prison? He had been waiting for this his whole life… Could he finally be free?

The sudden realization of this struck him like a slap in the face and he took a step backwards. Sky and Syd's expressions grew concerned as Bridge began shaking his head. "No…" the green ranger said slowly. "No, you guys, I appreciate everything you've done, but I don't think it's going to work. It's not going to happen." Turning, Bridge unlocked the doors and fled.

_xxx_

"I thought I might find you here."

Bridge stiffened at the sound of the pink ranger's voice, but made no move to turn around. Moments later, he felt Syd sit down next to him and they sat for a few minutes, watching as the sun set. After he had run away from Syd's room, he had come up to the rooftop and done some thinking. Now he felt bad for running out on his friends when they were only trying to help.

Syd watched her best friend out of the corner of her eye for a few minutes, wondering what the green ranger was thinking. He had to be thinking about what happened earlier, Syd told herself. After a minute longer, she spoke. "So, why did you run out on us earlier?"

Bridge kept silent and looked down.

"You know, it's okay to be afraid."

Finally, he looked at her. "I'm not afraid, Syd," he whispered. "I'm terrified."

This time, the pink ranger kept silent, letting Bridge gather his thoughts.

"I mean, I've wanted this my whole life! And all of a sudden it seems like it might be a possibility. I don't know what to think," he continued to hold the pink ranger's gaze. "You have no idea how much it hurts to look at these gloves everyday, knowing that I'd never be able to do the things everyone else can. These powers go crazy on me every time I touch someone or something without my gloves."

"Oh, Bridgey," Syd whispered.

"But, even though these gloves were my prison, they also made me feel somewhat safe," Bridge paused, trying to find the right words to explain. "These powers were with me my whole life – it's all I know."

"You have to take risks, Bridgey. You can't hide behind those gloves all the time, don't you want to try?"

"I don't know," Bridge replied, shaking his head.

"What about Z? I know you love her, Bridge. I can see it, Sky sees it, Jack sees it, heck, even the Commander can see it! If our theory is true, think of all the wonderful things that can happen! You should at least try!"

"But, what if it doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't, then we'll find another way."

Both Bridge and Syd turned to see Sky shutting the door of the rooftop. The blue ranger headed toward them and sat down on the other side of Bridge. Sky stared at the green ranger, the expression on his face told Bridge that the blue ranger was more serious than he had ever been. "Syd and I have been researching nonstop for the past month and a half," Sky told him. "We've questioned every set back, looked up every possibility and we think we've finally found an answer."

"What if it doesn't work?" Bridge repeated his earlier question.

Sky met his gaze evenly. "What have you got to lose?"

He stared at the blue ranger for a few moments, and then shifted his gaze to Syd. The pink ranger gave him a reassuring smile. They were right, Bridge reasoned. What did he have to lose? The worst that could happen would be that things would keep going as they were. The green ranger let out a shaky sigh, trying not to get his hopes up and also feeling terrified. "Okay," he said. "Let's try out this theory of yours."

_xxx_


	12. Darkness Hides All

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize.

**Note:** A _Han Bo_ is a karate weapon. It's a short wooden staff.

_xxx_

The room was dark but completely spacious. The only source of light came through the window from the bright glowing round moon. The room had a musky smell and was empty, but yet, full as well. Had any normal person walked into the room, he or she would immediately shiver, feeling the chill of the coldness that the room gave off. In the corner, lay two mattresses, one on top of the other. The thin, ragged blanket was tossed to the side, lying limp and stretched.

A breeze floated through the open window, ruffling the ragged curtains slightly. His heavy breathing came out in little visible puffs of vapor and there was a crispness in the air that indicated the signs of an early winter. Sweat dripped down his firm chest as he paused from his strenuous exercise. In his right hand, he clutched a _Han Bo_. He had found the worn wooden staff in the corner of an alley. It was old, but it served its purpose.

Most of his days were now spent training and studying the layout of the SPD Academy. His time in prison had done nothing to his appearance and he was satisfied that he was still able to install fear within people with just one look, but he figured that it wouldn't hurt to train some more. It was easy to manipulate people if you had the right attributes, and he knew he had the right attributes.

Giovanni was a man of extreme patience and he was also a man with excellent timing. He liked things planned down to the very last detail and knew how to execute them perfectly. He grinned maliciously at the thought of his former 'children' waiting for him to strike at any given moment. They were probably living in fear, staying inside the building and taking comfort in the safety that SPD provided. It was pointless, he knew. He would get to them sooner or later. They could have their cold comfort; it wouldn't last much longer anyway.

He had been on Earth for a little over two months now. Using the darkness to his advantage, he went hunting for things almost every night. He had memorized his way around Newtech City within days of his arrival and made himself at home. Mainly, he broke into places that sold food and weapons. During this time, he had managed to make contacts whether it was willingly or unwillingly. So far, they had all been useless except for one.

Piggy.

The strange looking pig-like alien was more useful than any other person he had encountered so far on Earth. He had been supplied with maps and layouts of the SPD Academy. Hours upon hours of sitting and watching from treetops helped determined exactly which rooms everyone was in. They made it all too easy to locate them. All their rooms were in the same facility. He wasn't concerned about Jack or Caleb or even Ian and Keegan. He was more intent on studying the women. They had all certainly grown up to be beautiful women. Elizabeth and Kathleen were all grown up and no longer little girls. Giovanni licked his lips, imagining how their confrontation would go when they would finally come face to face. Perhaps they would have a little fun before they all met their demise... He studied their habits and their weaknesses, memorizing them so he could use it to his advantage. He had also begun studying the people surrounding them.

Sky, Sydney and Bridge.

They were an interesting group of people and he spent hours studying them as well. Each of them had a sense of goodness and nobility that he greatly despised. They cared about Z and Jack deeply and extended their kindness onto the others. They were formidable opponents and Giovanni knew they were fiercely loyal and would defend everyone to their last breath. They believed in kindness, and in love. They cared and made sure to protect everyone they could, always lending a helping hand to anyone.

Giovanni snorted.

There was no such thing as love and kindness got you no where.

There was only power and money.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted shadows moving toward him. Within one swift moment, he reached out and had the figure pinned to the wall, his hand groping the person's neck. "Who are you?" His voice came out sounding low.

"I- its m-me," the voice squeaked.

Even in the darkness, Giovanni could smell fear. "Well, well, well," he slurred. "Piggy. What a nice surprise."

Piggy felt himself begin to shake and panic rising within him. He was still pinned to the wall and Giovanni's hand was still clutching his neck and his feet were dangling an inch from the ground. His arm trembling, he lifted the scroll he had been holding for Giovanni to see. "I- b-brought another l-layout of SPD for you." Instantly, he felt himself being dropped to the ground and he stumbled slightly before gaining his balance.

Giovanni's scarred features twisted into a malicious smile. "Ah, did you? Excellent Piggy. The Academy has certainly changed and expanded since my glory days - the layouts are most certainly helpful." Once the blue prints were in his hands, he pinned Piggy with his coldest stare. "Remember Piggy, tell anyone of our meeting and you will cease to exist."

Piggy gulped, remembering the way Giovanni had ruthlessly murdered some of his customers in front of his restaurant. The pig-like alien nodded and rushed out of the house, leaving Giovanni alone with his thoughts once more.

Giovanni turned to the window, the bright full moon was now hidden behind dark grey clouds. His hand clenched and his eyes darkened.

It was almost time.

Only six more days.

_xxx_

**Note:** I apologize for the pretty short chapter, but I really don't want to give anything away concerning Giovanni. I think he's turning out to be one of my favorite characters for this story! Anyway, more of his story will come later on during this fic. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! They all made me smile :D


	13. Lack of Faith

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates! December was a long month – filled with exams and crazy holiday plans. I'll try my best to update this fic more often! I think this was possibly the hardest chapter I had to write yet – hope everyone thinks it's alright and that it's enough to satisfy. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and if people have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

To that one person who sent me a review and didn't bother leaving an email for me to reply to, know this: I'm sorry that I don't update my stories often enough for your liking, but life happens. I've got school and other things to worry about. If you have a problem with me, please contact me directly through email or a PM and not leave me a flame that had no point to it. Thank you.

Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers – if I did, Sky and Syd would've gotten together officially a long time ago :)

_xxx_

The city was still and dark as the people of New Tech City slept through the night. It was the first week of November and hours earlier, the first snowfall of the season had coated the city in a blanket of white frost. A gust of wind swept through the empty streets, making little white snow clouds dance about in a semi-magical manner. The moon was bright and round, giving the city a glistening glow with its beautiful light.

The SPD Academy was quiet as Kat Manx wandered through the hallways. Sleep would not come to her tonight. As she walked, she marveled at the silence - she never got to see the Academy like this, as it was always filled with noise. Most of the cadets and staff were in bed and asleep, the only people that were awake were the ones assigned to night duty.

She was worried. Over the past month, there had been a long list of names – names of people that had been murdered recently - the list was getting longer and longer each passing day. Without a doubt, Kat could only think of one person that would be capable of killing all these innocent people just for fun.

The feline doctor continued along the hallway, stopping once she entered the command center. Most of the lights were off and the only sounds came from the console. "Computer," her voice commanded evenly. "Turn all systems on."

Immediately, all the machinery came to life. She waited. A minute later, everything was running smoothly. "All systems activated," the computer responded in a robotic monotone.

She tapped a few buttons. "Computer, please search all files for Giovanni Deveraux."

"Searching..."

Within minutes, several files were listed. She downloaded all the files to her computer before sitting down at her desk. "Alright," the feline muttered to herself. "Time to find out all we can about you, Giovanni." Kat double clicked on the first file and waited for the document to open.

When she read the first headline, what she found shouldn't have shocked her, but nonetheless shocked her anyway. She opened more files.

Robbery. Drugs. Murder. Rape.

Giovanni had done all these things and more for eight years straight before getting caught. They were dealing with a dangerous criminal. How in the world had Z, Jack and their friends gotten mixed up with a man like that? Even without asking, Kat knew the answer - Giovanni had somehow manipulated them.

She turned her attention back to her computer and clicked on the fifth file, finding it to be another newspaper article. Scanning the headline, she found that it was another murder that Giovanni had committed. Kat shook her head slightly and prepared to open another document when something in the article caught her eye. Her eyes widened as she read the name.

_Danny Delgado._

Kat stared at the screen. Could it be?

Danny Delgado, the man that had worked on that awful experiment over two decades ago? The man that had been the black wild force power ranger? That Danny?

She continued to stare at the screen. Her eyes lingering on the last name.

_Delgado. Danny Delgado. Could Z possibly be his daughter? _

Kat had known Danny had had a daughter, but the feline had believed said daughter to be dead. After all, there had been that disastrous earthquake that hit New Tech City a few years ago…

Quickly, she read through the article.

The doors to the command center opened and in walked the Commander. Cruger looked mildly surprised to see her sitting there. "Miss Manx, I thought you had gone to bed early tonight."

"I couldn't sleep, sir," Kat responded, not taking her eyes off the computer screen. "So, I decided to do some research on Giovanni."

Cruger nodded. "Always working, aren't you? Have you found anything?"

"Doggie, do you remember those experiments that we did back in 2001? Do you remember Danny Delgado?"

Cruger paused. "Of course I remember Danny Delgado. What of him?"

"According to these articles, Giovanni had murdered Danny. And if I remember correctly, Danny also had a daughter that went missing or was presumed dead. She went missing right after the earthquake that had occured nine years ago."

There was silence in the Command Center as Cruger went over the facts in his head. Finally, the big blue dog sighed. "Kat, I think we better do some more research."

_xxx_

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ian's eyes stared at the machine as it continued to monitor Larissa's heart rate. At the moment, her heart beat was steady, but that could change any time. They had already had a scare yesterday morning when Larissa's heart just suddenly stopped.

Since his arrival at SPD (which had only been two days ago), Ian had made it a priority to visit Larissa everyday, spending hours talking about trivial things. The poor girl was still in a coma – her injuries were slowly healing and the color in her cheeks had returned. But everyone had all but given up on Larissa's chance of awakening, especially when her heart gave up yesterday and they had only just managed to revive her.

What was it with these people anyway? Never having any proper medical care when he was growing up, Ian believed that these people had the means to help Larissa. _They have all this fancy equipment, why haven't they been able to wake her up yet?_ He gazed at Larissa's limp form. Life just wasn't fair.

The door to Larissa's hospital room opened and his sister stepped in, looking bright and cheerful. He felt a surge of anger flow through him. He didn't understand how his sister could be so happy at a time like this… Larissa, one of her best friends, was in a coma for crying out loud!

Kathleen sat down in one of the chairs next to him. "How is she?" she asked.

"Like you care," he mumbled.

She looked at him, shocked. He felt a bit guilty for saying those words to his sister but held his ground. Tears welled up in Kathleen's eyes, making him feel even guiltier. "Of course I care!" she said, indignantly. "You think I _like_ seeing Larissa like this?"

"You have a funny way of showing it!" he sneered, letting his anger take over him. "Ever since we've arrived here, you've been starry eyed about every little thing! What is it going to take for you to realize that SPD can't help us? They never helped us before when we were living out on the streets!"

"But they are helping us!" Kathleen protested. "We're being protected by staying here! We're safe!"

Ian leapt to his feet and regarded his sister's comment with a snort. "Stop being so naïve, Kathleen. _Nowhere_ is safe! Giovanni won't care that we're under SPD protection; he's going to come after us anyway!" He then gestured towards Larissa, lying limp in her bed. "They have all this machinery, but they can't even help Larissa! She isn't even awake yet!"

"They aren't miracle workers, Ian! If it wasn't for all this machinery, Larissa would already be dead! Don't you see how blessed we are, Ian? We may not be completely safe here at the Academy, but at least it's better than being out there!" The tears that had welled up in Kathleen's eyes spilled over onto her cheeks. "If we were still out on the streets we wouldn't even have a chance!"

His right hand clenched into a fist. He cast one more glance at his sister before turning to leave the room. "I'll be back later."

"Where are you going?" Kathleen's voice held a hint of worry. "You can't leave! It's not safe out there! Ian, you have to stay here!"

Ian didn't reply as he slammed the door behind him.

_xxx_

"This isn't working, you guys!" Sweat dripped down the side of his face as he slammed a fist into a table. Bridge sighed and closed his eyes as he slumped over and leaned against the wall. Next to him, Sky slumped down looking defeated. Syd sat across from them, staring at the pages of notes in her hands, looking utterly frustrated.

"I don't understand," the pink ranger muttered to herself as she flipped through her notebook. "This should be working!"

"Maybe you aren't concentrating hard enough," Sky suggested, looking over at him.

Bridge closed his eyes, letting out another sigh as he did so. His friends meant well, he knew, but it was hopeless. He would never be free of his powers. Still, he amended, he appreciated the fact that his friends had gone to such great lengths to try and help. It meant so much.

Syd was still staring at the notes in front of her, something nagging in the back of her mind. Bridge was psychometric, which meant that he could touch things and see human emotions from them. He was also telepathic, which meant he could open his mind and dive into other people's minds. And he could also pick up people's thoughts without probing into their minds. The wheels in the back of her mind began churning. _He can pick up emotions without trying – how do you block something like that? _

The three of them had been trying for two days now to help Bridge create a barrier around himself and so far it wasn't working – most of their theories had failed. Sydney bit her lip, wracking her brains, trying to figure out another possibility. She flipped through her notebook, skimming through what she had written. She flipped to the last page of her notes and read through it, pausing at the very last bullet she had made.

When she had written the point down, at the time she had deemed it useless because it had seemed so trivial. Even Sky had scoffed at it, also thinking it was useless but she had written the information down in her notebook anyway just because something inside her told her too.

_Sometimes the simplest action causes the greatest effect. _

She stared at Bridge and Sky from where she sat. The three of them had been through so much… had known each other for years… they had become close… a family… Bridge was her best friend and she considered him her little brother… and she knew how he felt about Z… how many times had she seen Bridge watching couples holding hands and wishing that he could do the same? How many times had she witness Bridge's expression going sad whenever people were touching and hugging around him? Too many times to count…

She glanced at the last bullet in her notes again. Well, it was worth a shot… she looked up at Bridge. "Hey Bridgey?"

The green ranger gave her a weary smile. "Yeah?"

"Think you're up for one more try? I've got an idea."

"Syd," Sky interrupted, looking at his girlfriend with a stern expression. "I think he's had enough. Look at him, he's exhausted."

"I know, but there's one thing we haven't tried – "

"Syd!"

"But – "

"Guys!" Bridge yelled. Sky and Syd's emotions were mixing in with his own, giving him a bigger headache. "Stop. Let's try out your idea, Syd. I'm sure this one won't make a difference."

"Bridge – " Sky started to say, but stopped when the green ranger gave him a look.

"I'll be fine, Sky. I can handle it," the green ranger paused and looked at Syd, "But after this, can I please go take a shower? I feel dirty."

"Okay," the pink ranger nodded. There was a silence as she tried to figure out how this scenario was possibly going to work. "Ready?"

Bridge nodded and prepared to stand up when Syd stopped him. "No Bridgey, you can sit down for this one – I think."

The green ranger sat down with a puzzled expression on his face. What was Syd up to this time?

"Okay. Close your eyes and try to imagine –"

He exchanged a puzzled glance with Sky – had Syd lost it? _Close your eyes and imagine?_ What kind of theory was that? Sky shrugged, indicating that he didn't have a clue to what his girlfriend was up too – in fact, Sky's confusion added to his own. Nonetheless, he trusted Syd – he had no reason not to. Bridge closed his eyes and waited for more instructions from his best friend.

"Draw a circle in your mind – make it as dark and make it as heavy color as you can."

There was blackness all around him and he listened to Sydney's words. In the background, he could distinctly hear Sky muttering about how ridiculous this idea was. The green ranger inwardly shrugged – it didn't matter, he had nothing to lose.

"Imagine walking into the middle of that circle and then making that circle shape to your body."

Both Sky and Syd both stared open-mouthed at their friend as a green outline began to form around Bridge. The pink ranger felt her heart begin to thud loudly in anticipation. Was it actually working? She began inching towards where Sky and Bridge were sitting.

The room was completely silent as the blue and pink rangers gawked at Bridge. After a minute or two, the green that surrounded Bridge faded. Syd and Sky exchanged glances and the pink ranger leaned forward slightly. "Bridgey?" she whispered, afraid to break the silence.

There was no response. Bridge was still sitting with his eyes closed.

The blue and pink rangers exchanged panicked glances.

"Bridge?" Sky ventured, sounding a little more than worried. "Are you okay?"

For Bridge, it seemed like a miracle. He felt… different. He didn't know how else to describe it. Slowly, feeling a little bit more than afraid, he opened his eyes to see Syd and Sky staring at him with worried expressions. His brain immediately jumped on to the fact that the room was brighter and more colorful. It was the strangest thing he had ever experienced.

"Well?" Syd asked, looking apprehensive. "Did it work?"

Bridge stared back at his friends. "I… I can't see your auras anymore," he replied slowly. "I can't feel your emotions…"

Syd stood up and quickly reached for a random object and placed it on the floor in front of him. Bridge stared at it for a moment before taking off one of his gloves. This was almost too much to hope for… He reached for the pen with his leather-free hand and held it tight against his palm and waited.

Nothing.

No images flashed through his mind.

If someone had asked him where the pen had been, he wouldn't be able to tell them the answer.

His powers weren't acting up.

"Well?" Sky asked anxiously.

Bridge stared at the pen in his hand. "Nothing," he replied.

Syd stood up and retrieved another random object. She threw it towards Bridge, which he caught with ease, and he flipped through the book. The green ranger stared down at the pages, feeling an overwhelming emotion rise within him. He couldn't tell who had read this book before hand. He couldn't see the image of Syd handing him the book. He laid the book aside and stood up, touching a random chair. The same thing happened – he couldn't see who had sat in the chair before he had touched it.

He looked at Sky and Syd. "Nothing," he repeated again.

Sky and Syd exchanged glances again.

"Guess there's only one way to find out if it really works," Sky said, standing up and offering his left hand.

With a little bit of hesitation, Bridge reached out and accepted Sky's hand with his right. The blue ranger's hand felt warm against his own and he was surprised when he didn't receive Sky's thoughts. Brown eyes met blue with confusion and another silence ensued.

"Nothing," Bridge said finally.

Syd let out a delighted squeal. "You mean it actually worked?"

"It seems so," Sky replied, seeing that the green ranger to overwhelmed to talk. "I can't believe that the most simplest, yet most stupid sounding, theory actually turned out to be the one that worked," Sky paused, "Hey Bridge? Think you can let go of my hand now?"

"What? Oh – sorry!" Bridge quickly let the blue ranger's hand go, blushing as he did so. Suddenly, the green ranger was full of energy and was itching to go out into the world with his new found power. Finally, he could blend into society as a normal human being for periods at a time. He glanced at his friends. "I've got to go out… I want to see…" he trailed off, not knowing how to explain.

Sky grinned and wrapped an arm around Sydney, as the pink ranger leaned into his shoulder. "Go Bridge, we understand – go explore the world."

"But don't forget to let out your psychic senses from time to time," Syd added. "It would be bad if your powers were overloading in your body."

"Yeah," Bridge paused, making a mental note to remember that tiny detail. His powers weren't gone - they were just cooped up inside his body and needed to be released every so often."I'll see you guys later!" And in his normal, spastic fashion, the green ranger zoomed out of the room, leaving behind a well-worn pair of leather gloves.

"Was all those sleepless nights and huge amounts of research worth it?"

Syd grinned as she looked up at her boyfriend. "Every moment."

Sky smiled down at her. "How about going out to dinner tonight?"

"It's a date!"

_xxx_

She was not happy and she didn't know why.

Correction.

Z Delgado knew _exactly_ why she was unhappy and the idea of it doesn't make her much happier.

The yellow ranger stomped towards her room, feeling quite disturbed. Ten minutes ago, she had seen Bridge rushing down the corridor, passing by her without even stopping to even exchange a greeting. For the last two days, she had seen Bridge less and less and whenever she did see him – he was always accompanied by the pink ranger.

Just what was it, Z wondered, about Syd that everyone seemed to find so special? Sky was so in love with her, Bridge used to have a crush on her – even Jack had flirted with her during their earliest days at the Academy.

"Jealous much?"

Startled, Z looked up and realized that she had passed her room and had ended up in the common room. Jack was standing next to her with his usual teasing grin and that knowing look in his eyes. She hated that look.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she grumbled, feeling more cranky and crabby by the minute.

"Oh come on," the red ranger paused. "I saw your little run in with Bridge and how he just rushed out of the Academy – and I know you way too well, Z. I can tell what's going on in that little head of yours – you're jealous of Syd for some strange reason."

"I'm not jealous! What's there to be jealous of?"

Jack shrugged. "You tell me."

"Seriously – I'm not jealous!"

"You know who you're talking to right? I know you better than anyone – I know you're not happy with the fact that Bridge has been spending all of his free time lately with Syd."

The yellow ranger flinched. Had she been that obvious?"

"And to answer what you're thinking – no you haven't been that obvious. At least not to people around you. I, however, have noticed. And you, my favorite person in the whole world, are jealous."

"I'm not!" She hissed, absolutely hating the smug look that now adorned Jack's face.

"Sure, denial isn't just a river in Egypt, anyway," Jack hurries to finish once he noticed the look on Z's face. "I've gotta go – I promised I'd show Keegan around the Academy. Bye Z!"

The red ranger hurried away, leaving Z to stare after him. Fuming, she began making her way back to her room. She wasn't jealous – it just wasn't possible. Okay, so maybe her roommate was drop dead gorgeous. Z wasn't that bad looking either – she liked to think that she had cleaned up nicely since her street days. And so what if everyone at the Academy thought Syd was a sweetheart – she was a nice person as well.

She headed into her room, only to run into Sydney and all rational thought was gone. The pink ranger looked entirely too cheerful and happy – it was as if something big had just happened. That made her all the more irritated. Syd was wearing a beautiful pink dress that looked brand new and looking stunning as usual.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Everything is just perfect!" Syd squealed as she looked in the mirror and fluffing out her hair. "No more spending long hours in that stuffy library, Bridge is happy beyond belief and Sky's taking me out to dinner tonight! Life is just wonderful!"

Anger at the thought of the pink ranger spending the last two days with Bridge and hearing how happy the green ranger was, Z knew she wasn't making much sense as she exploded. "What about Sky, huh?"

Sydney turned from the mirror and gave her roommate a questioning glance. "What about Sky?"

"How can you hurt him like that? I thought you loved him!"

"I do – Z, what are you talking about?"

"I hate how everyone thinks you're perfect and how you're constantly at the center of everyone's attention. You just had to go and lure Bridge into your web too, huh?"

"Z – "

"You know, you should stop taking the best two for yourself!"

"Z – "

"Well, guess what? I'm pretty and just as smart as you! And I have a lot of personality – I don't need to rely on my looks like you do!" Having run out of things to say, the yellow ranger turned and fled from their room, leaving the pink ranger speechless.

Sky popped into the room a few minutes later. "Wow, you look gorgeous." He then took a good look at her expression. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," she replied honestly. "I may be wrong, but I think Z is jealous."

"Jealous? You mean, your little plan actually worked?"

"I don't know, it looks like it – she just ran out of here after blowing up at me about something. She mentioned Bridge's name," Sydney looked at her boyfriend, grinning. "I think she has a bit of a crush on Bridge."

"So she blew up at you, huh?"

"Yeah," she grinned mischievously. "She knew that I've been with Bridge every free moment for the last two days – and I conveniently forgot to mention that you were with us the entire time. Trust me, she's jealous."

And with those words, the pink ranger reached for her jacket and walked out of her room, feeling triumphant and already thinking of ways to get Bridge and Z together.

_xxx_

Leave an honest review, please? I'm really anxious to know what you all think of this chapter! Thank you :)


	14. Moment of Truth

Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! Life happens and school is just piling up. I just got through a round of midterms and have to start preparing for upcoming school projects. I'm not sure when the next update will be – but thanks to all those who have stuck with me during the slow process of this fic. And if this note doesn't make sense, then it's because I've fried my brain cells by studying too much!

Note: In case any of you don't remember, Jenna is the name of Z's doll – which was mentioned in chapter 2.

_Love is everything it's cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, and risking everything for. – Eric Jong_

_xxx_

"Hey pretty lady, wanna talk?"

Z glanced up as Caleb sat down beside her and she felt a small smile come to her lips. However, the smile faded as she remembered the reason that made her so upset in the first place. The yellow ranger gave a soft sigh, raising her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them. It had been a long and tiring day and it had been completely awful. "Not really," she replied.

"Come on," Caleb coaxed as he wrapped an arm around her. Automatically, she leaned into his embrace and felt a lot better. It felt nice to be held. "You know you can tell me anything."

There was silence and Caleb frowned when he realized that he wasn't going to get an answer just yet. He let out a sigh and then smiled a bit as a few memories came to him. "Remember when you were younger, whenever you had a problem, you would always run to me?"

Z felt herself smile and she giggled a bit. "You always did know how to make me feel better," she admitted.

"I remember this one time when you were ten and Keegan put gum into your hair. You cried for weeks."

"I was mad at Keegan for so long," Z laughed. "But then you punished him and made him take on my chores for two months."

"Yep," Caleb grinned and then a silence once again ensued. "So, wanna tell me what's wrong?"

She hesitated, and then sighed. "Caleb, have you ever been in love?"

Her friend looked surprised and than began chuckling. "So that's what your gloomy mood is all about. You have boy problems."

"It's not funny," Z replied hotly. "Caleb! Stop laughing! I don't know what to do!"

"Well," Caleb cleared his throat as his laughing fit came to a stop. "Just let things run its course."

"So, what do you do when the guy you like is spending lots of time with another girl that already has a boyfriend?"

"Syd and Bridge are best friends, of course they're going to hang out. And when you stop being jealous, you'll see that Syd doesn't have feelings for Bridge the way she does for Sky."

"How did you know I was talking about Bridge and Syd?"

Caleb gave her a bored look. "You weren't exactly subtle the last few days. And you forget who you're talking to… all of us street kids are very good at observing."

Z bit her lip and avoided Caleb's gaze.

"So you like Bridge, huh?"

"I never said it was Bridge!"

"You didn't have too."

The yellow ranger sighed, knowing it was a useless argument. "I don't know what to do. I've never liked anyone before."

Caleb smiled and patted the top of her head. "Just wait and see. You have nothing to worry about." He then stood up and walked out of the common room, leaving Z sitting on the couch, feeling more confused than ever.

_xxx_

"I think we should lock them in a closet."

Sky looked up from his desk and turned to face her, his expression filled with amusement. "You can't lock them in a closet, Syd."

"Why not?" Sydney was sitting cross-legged on his bed, leaning against his pillows as she inspected her nails. "You seem them do it in movies all the time and each time the couples come out of the locked closet happy and _together._ Besides, it'll be fast and easy!"

The blue ranger let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "You can't lock them in a closet," he repeated.

Sydney pouted and went back to inspecting her nails and he went back to his paperwork. And for twenty minutes, they sat in silence, enjoying each other's company. Then –

"You think we should write them secret love notes and signed with each of their names?"

Sky looked up once more. "You mean, send a note to Z with Bridge's name on it and another to Bridge with Z's name on it?"

"Yes."

This time he laughed out loud. He stood up from his desk and headed over to where his girlfriend was sitting. Her hair was tied up in a casual ponytail and she was wearing one of his faded blue SPD shirts along with her favorite pajama bottoms and her fluffy pink robe. He sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. She leaned into his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder comfortably. "I think you were a little closer with the closet idea," he told her. "Why do you want to see Bridge and Z together so bad?"

"They would look cute together, don't you think?"

"Sure, but I don't think you should be meddling."

"I am not meddling," Sydney stuck out her tongue at Sky.

"Yeah, you're not meddling," Sky paused. "_Yet_."

"I just wanna see Bridge and Z happy."

"Syd, we don't even know if Z has feelings for Bridge."

Sydney stuck out her tongue at the blue ranger once more. "Oh come on, you know something's there! I mean, Z's mad at me for no reason!"

Smiling softly, he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Promise me you won't do too much meddling."

There was a silence.

"Syd?" He prompted.

"Fine," Syd pouted. "I promise I won't do too much meddling."

"Good," Sky kissed the pink ranger's forehead before standing up. "I'm going to go take a shower."

And as he headed towards his bathroom, his clothes in hand, Sydney's voice stopped him. "Sky?"

He turned and faced her. "Yeah?"

"Can we _please_ lock them in a closet?"

_xxx_

Snow fell gently around him, coating everywhere around him with cold wet snowflakes. The snow crunched beneath his feet as he walked down the empty pathway through the park. His breath formed little misty clouds and he brought his hands to his mouth and blew into them, momentarily warming his fingers.

It had been a long eventful day – and he was beginning to feel the weariness that he felt earlier in the day come back to him. But for the first time, Bridge could honestly say that he was content with his life. Never had he imagined that he would be able to touch – to feel and experience something without being overloaded with emotions.

He was about to touch the empty park bench and feel the rough ridges of the wood. He was able to pick up an empty pop can that someone had left on the ground and throw it into the recycling trash can without seeing the nameless person that had drunk it before he had touched it.

He was free but at the same time, he wasn't. The green ranger knew that he would never be completely normal, but now, at least he had a chance to fit into society better than he had before.

By the time Bridge got back to the Academy, most of the cadets and staff had already gone to bed. There were a few people milling about as he made his way down the hallway. He passed the Command Center and spotted Kat and waved as he continued toward his bedroom.

He entered and wasn't the least bit surprised to see Sydney perched on Sky's bed and leaning against the blue ranger's pillows with a magazine in her hands. Over the past few months, he had grown used to seeing the pink ranger in his bedroom – she was there all the time. Sometimes he found it amusing to find Syd sitting on Sky's bed – she was usually the only spot of pink in a room of green and blue.

"Hi Bridgey!" The pink ranger greeted, looking up from her magazine. "Are you okay? How was your exploration?"

"It went fine," he replied honestly. "It was really different… refreshing."

"Oh," Sydney paused, looking at him expectantly waiting to hear more. Sky exited the bathroom a few moments later, a fluffy blue towel wrapped around his neck. "Hey Bridge," Sky smiled, seeing the green ranger. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Bridge headed over to his closet and pulled out his comfiest pajamas. "I'm going to take a shower and then we'll talk after, okay guys?"

His friends nodded and he turned towards his bathroom, very much looking forward to a nice, long and hot shower.

_xxx_

Jack lounged around on the yellow ranger's bed as he watched Z pace back and forth. His expression turned to one of amusement and he couldn't help but laugh. "Still jealous?"

Z stopped pacing and pinned the red ranger with a glare. "NO!"

"Sure you're not."

She glared at him for a minute before sighing and sitting down at the edge of her bed and grabbing her doll and hugging it tight to her chest. Seeing the expression on the yellow ranger's face made Jack sit up from his comfortable lazy position to a position that made him look like he was focusing his attention solely on Z – which he was. "What's wrong?"

She stared at him and he suddenly knew.

"You're scared," he stated simply. He opened his arms. "Come here." Still holding onto Jenna, she fell into Jack's arms, feeling herself relax more than she had for the last week. This felt familiar, she felt comfortable. "Why are you so afraid?"

Only with Jack was she able to admit her feelings. "I don't know," she replied.

"It's obvious that Bridge has feelings for you."

"Are you sure?"

"'Course I'm sure," she could feel the vibrations rippling through his chest as Jack chuckled. "The only person, who hasn't noticed, is you."

"Really?" Z looked up into Jack's face, wondering why her heart had suddenly started beating rapidly. "How do you know?"

"Bridge isn't exactly Mr. Mysterious," Jack stated. "He doesn't know it but most of the time he wears his heart on his sleeve. The way he looks at you says everything."

"But –"

"No," he interrupted. "Z, its time to stop denying what you feel because despite what you say, the look on your face says it all, you just have to admit to yourself your true feelings."

"I don't want him to leave," she sniffed. "Everybody always leaves after awhile."

"Who says Bridge is going to leave? They've done a good job with sticking with us, don't you think?"

Z wiped a stray tear from her eye and sniffed. Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that Jack was right. Bridge, Syd and Sky had stuck with them for awhile now. And if she was really honest with herself, she did rely on their friendship. Bridge made her laugh, she and Syd were almost as close as sisters and with Sky - she felt like she had another brother looking out for her well-being.

"I guess you're right," she mumbled.

"And?"

"And they aren't going to leave."

"And?"

"And I know I can trust them."

"AND?"

"And… and… and… I like…"

"I'm waiting." Jack's voice sounded impatient.

"And… I like… I like… I like Bridge."

"What?" Jack suddenly seemed deaf.

"I like Bridge."

"What did you say?"

"I _like_ Bridge."

"Say it louder, I can't hear you very well."

Z sat up and faced Jack with an annoyed look on her face. "I like Bridge, okay!"

Jack grinned. "Took you long enough to admit it," the red ranger stood up and headed for the doors of her bedroom. "Now, the question is, what are you going to do about it? Night Z!" Whistling, Jack turned and headed out, leaving Z to think things over.

_xxx_

"You know," Syd remarked as she leaned against Sky's pillows, sipping her hot chocolate. "We haven't done this in awhile."

"Done what?" Sky asked, leaning against the wall at the edge of his bed as he munched on some baby carrots, the SPD Handbook in his hand.

"Hang out together," the pink ranger answered. "Just the three of us. The past three days that we've been together sorta felt like old times, don't you think?"

"It sure did," Bridge replied quietly. He looked up from his own mug of hot chocolate and faced the two people he considered to be his family. "You guys know that you're the best friends I've ever had, right?"

"Of course we know, Bridgey!" Sydney grinned. "We aren't going to forget that fact anytime soon."

"And you guys know how grateful and thankful I am that you've helped me somewhat control my powers?"

"It was nothing," Sky added.

"You guys are the best," Bridge grinned. He stared at the blue and pink rangers for a moment, feeling grateful and happy to have found friends like them. He held their gazes and felt comforted by the fact that they would always stand by him no matter what.

There was a comfortable silence as the three of them resumed to what they were doing. Sky went back to reading his SPD Handbook; Syd went back to sipping her hot chocolate and flipping through her magazine, while he finished his own drink.

"So Bridge, are you planning to ask Z out on a date anytime soon?"

Syd's sudden question startled the green ranger and he began to choke as he tried to swallow his drink. Sky leapt from his position and headed over to his side of the room and began thumping on his back as he gasped.

"Way to go, Syd," the blue ranger reprimanded. "You just can't leave it alone, can you?"

The pink ranger shrugged, looking concerned. "I didn't mean to make him choke."

As his coughing died down, Bridge took a large gulp of water from the bottle that Sky handed him. "Thanks Sky," he gasped. Once his coughing fit died down, he glanced at the pink ranger. Syd was looking at him with a mischievous grin on her face. The green ranger inwardly groaned. His best friend was playing matchmaker – he should've known.

"I don't know…" he replied slowly.

"You can ask her out now – your powers aren't going to be a problem anymore!" she pressed.

"Syd…" Sky cut in. There was a bit of a warning in his voice.

"What? Bridge deserves to be happy – he's had a crush on Z for awhile now!"

"You promised that you wouldn't meddle - "

"_Much_. I promised that I wouldn't meddle _that much_."

"Still – "

"Guys!" Bridge interrupted. The green ranger sighed as both the blue and pink rangers looked at him. "Syd, what makes you think Z would go for someone like me anyway? I've never dated anyone before."

"What makes you think Z won't go for someone like you?" The pink ranger countered.

"I don't know…" Bridge trailed off. "I've never asked a girl out before."

"Tell you what," Syd cut in. "Let's double date. The Winter Carnival has been in town for a few days now, how about we go there tomorrow? You, Z, me and Sky. What do you say?"

Bridge thought it over and then nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan… I guess."

"YES!" Syd squealed.

Bridge felt his heart flutter as Syd began spouting off details about the carnival and the plans for the next day. The green ranger took a deep breath and forced himself to relax – it wasn't that big of a deal, right? Could a double date be considered a hangout? A casual hangout? As he listened to Syd's excited chatter, Bridge couldn't help but feel anxiety build up within him.

_xxx_

Z sat quietly on her bed, brushing her hair as she waited for Syd to come back to their room. She felt like such an idiot. Her earlier fight with the pink ranger had happened because of her jealousy and she knew it.

The yellow ranger wasn't used to feeling jealous. She wasn't used to admitting that she was wrong. And she definitely wasn't used to having deep feelings for a person. Z placed the brush that she was holding down onto her nightstand and picked up her doll and hugged it tight to her chest. Syd would forgive her, she knew that – the pink ranger never stayed mad for too long.

The doors of her bedroom slid open and there stood the pink ranger herself. Syd stepped over the threshold and stopped once she saw the yellow ranger waiting for her. They stared at each other for a moment before Syd spoke. "So… am I allowed to come in, or do you need some more time to cool off? 'Cause if you need more time to cool off, I can always spend the night in Sky's room."

"No," Z replied, feeling a little bit more than guilty. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you – are we still friends?"

Grinning, Syd bounced over to her bed and threw her arms around her shoulders. "Of course!"

Now she felt relieved. Z grinned, knowing that all was right with the world again.

"So, why were you so mad at me?"

Well, almost anyway.

Z bit her lip and avoided the pink ranger's gaze. She glanced down at Jenna and fingered her doll's tattered dress. She had already admitted it to Jack – what harm would come from telling Syd? "I was jealous," she muttered.

The yellow ranger was so busy trying to avoid the pink ranger's gaze that she missed the delighted grin that adorned Syd's face. Sydney was doing her best to refrain from giggling. "And why were you jealous?"

"Because you were spending a lot of time with Bridge," Z turned bright red. "And I like Bridge a lot," she mumbled.

There was a silence and the yellow ranger looked up, wondering why she didn't get more of a reaction. She instantly felt a little uneasy at the grin that adorned the pink ranger's face. "Syd?" she asked. "What's with that look?"

"I was beginning to wonder when you would admit it to yourself," Syd clasped her hands together and giggled. "It's nice to see that you aren't in denial anymore."

"What?" Z couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Sydney gave her a bored look. "What do you mean '_what_'? Everyone knew that you had a crush on Bridge, the only person who doesn't know is Bridge himself."

"But…"

"And trust me, Bridge likes you too!"

She stared at her teammate, her heart rate increasing. "Really?"

Sydney just nodded, not giving any other details. "Yep!"

"But…" she trailed off once more. Jack had basically said the same thing. Did she dare believe it? "But…"

"But nothing," Syd interrupted. "If you ask me, you've been dancing around your feelings for too long. It's about time you admitted your feelings – Bridge already realized his feelings for you, he just couldn't tell you."

Her eyes widened. "Why not?"

"I'll let Bridge tell you," the pink ranger winked. "Now, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Momentarily startled by the sudden change in conversation, it took Z a minute to answer. "Um, nothing. Since we're on call, I was just thinking of lounging around. Why?"

"Well, Sky and I are heading to the Winter Carnival tomorrow to spend some time together. Want to come?"

"I don't think so, Syd. I refuse to be a third wheel around you two."

"Silly! Bridge is going to be there!"

"Really?" The yellow ranger's heart began to pound and she couldn't decipher the feeling. Was she excited? She sort of was… but the feeling was more nervous than excited.

"Yep," came the pink ranger's answer.

Z closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll go." And as she listened to Sydney begin to spout of details about the next day, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over her.

_xxx_

The snow crunched beneath their feet as they walked along the white covered grounds. It wasn't very cold out, but it was cold enough for their breaths to form tiny mists of clouds every time they talked. People were milling all over the carnival grounds – long lines were formed at all the rides and games. Smells of sizzling hot dogs and cotton candy as well as hot chocolate filled the air. Sounds of happy laughter were heard as a couple of children ran past them, throwing snowballs at each other.

Sky, Syd, Bridge and Z were at the Annual New Tech City Winter Carnival and they were excited to be there.

Well technically, only one person was truly excited. One person was cold and the other two were too nervous to truly enjoy themselves.

"Oh Sky!" Syd was squealing. The pink ranger waved her arm towards the booth that featured a dart game. There were several large sized bunnies in all sorts of colors hanging to the roof of the booth. "They're so cute! Can you win me one?"

Bridge and Z were suddenly left alone as Sydney dragged Sky over to where the game was. The green and yellow rangers stood around awkwardly for a minute, watching as the blue ranger began throwing the darts that the booth operator had provided. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Z saw that Bridge quickly adverted his gaze once he saw that she was looking at him. The yellow ranger felt a grin come to her face as she realized that the green ranger was just as nervous as she was.

"So," she spoke up, shifting her gaze from the ground to Bridge. "Are you having fun?"

"Yup," he replied.

An awkward silence ensued when Bridge didn't say anything else. The yellow ranger wracked her brains trying to come up with something else to say. She bit her lip and looked around, searching for something to say. That was when she noticed that the pink and blue rangers were missing. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "What happened to Syd and Sky?"

Bridge quickly looked over at the dart game. Sky and Syd were no where to be seen. The green ranger narrowed his eyes. Boy, his friends were sneaky. He had a feeling that Sydney had been planning something like this from the start. The pink ranger had been way too cheerful that morning and he had a feeling that Sky had most likely been roped into going along with Sydney's plan. The green ranger sighed and shook his head. "I don't think we're going to find them for awhile. Want to go get some hot chocolate?"

The yellow ranger looked momentarily surprised but quickly accepted. "Sure, let's go."

They headed towards the small restaurant that was located not to far from the darts game. Upon entering, a waitress greeted them and they were immediately seated in the corner. They gave their orders and once the waitress left, the awkward silence between them suddenly came back.

After about five minutes, Z decided to make the first move. She wasn't usually the 'beat around the bush' type of person. She liked things to be straight to the point. She had been in denial about her feelings for Bridge for the last few weeks and she had just finally admitted it to herself. She really didn't feel dealing with awkward silences now. Jack had told her Bridge liked her. Syd did too. And Caleb mentioned it as well.

The yellow ranger sat up straighter and looked at Bridge, her heart pounding a mile a minute. "Bridge, I have something to tell you."

The green ranger looked startled but gave her his complete attention. "Okay."

"Try not to interrupt me, okay? 'Cause I've never done this before and for awhile there this whole thing had me so confused and scared that I didn't know what to do. I was so confused and jealous that I ended up blowing up at Syd, which I really didn't mean to do. I mean, you and Syd are best friends, so I don't know why I was jealous in the first place…" Z knew she was babbling now and she immediately stopped. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Bridge," she said as calmly as she could. "I like you. A lot. As in, more than a friend. Like the way Syd likes Sky."

The green ranger was quiet for a minute and then his face split into the widest smile she had ever seen. "I feel the same way," he told her.

She stared, hardly daring to believe it. "Really? I mean – Jack said you did, and so did Syd but –"

"I feel the same way," Bridge repeated calmly.

"Wow," she said. They fell silent as they looked at one another. "So, what now?" the yellow ranger asked.

Bridge had a strange look in his eyes. Slowly, he took off his leather gloves and held out his left hand to her. "Can I hold your hand?" he asked softly.

Her eyes widened. "But Bridge, your powers! What if –"

"Just trust me."

She took in a sharp breath. There was that word again. Trust. Looking at Bridge, she saw the sincere look in his eyes and felt herself slowly relax and a small smile came to her face. She trusted Bridge. He wouldn't hurt her. Slowly, she extended her right hand and entwined her fingers with his.

Z waited, but no moans or gasps came from Bridge. Instead, the green ranger looked strangely calm. She was even more startled when he said, "Your hand is nice and soft. Its how I always imagined it would be."

"Bridge, why aren't your powers acting up?"

"It's a long story," the green ranger replied and she felt her face grow hot as Bridge moved closer. "I promise I'll tell you later."

Without even realizing it, Z leaned her face closer to the green ranger's. She was feeling safer than she had ever felt before. She reveled in the warmth she felt radiating from Bridge's body as he wrapped his arm around her waist. And it was right there, in their secluded corner in the café, she received the gentlest yet loving kiss of her life.

_xxx_

"Look! They're going off together!" Syd tugged on Sky's arm as they spied around a booth. The pink ranger was grinning with delight. "I am brilliant."

"Syd, can we go inside somewhere? I'm cold."

"I should play match maker more often!"

"I think I'm getting sick."

"They are so perfect for each other!" Syd continued to watch Z and Bridge's retreating backs as their teammates headed towards the small café located in the middle of the grounds.

"Seriously, Syd. I'm not getting any warmer just standing here."

"I wonder what they're going to talk about…"

"I'm going to become an icicle any minute now," Sky muttered. "How would you like a boyfriend popsicle?"

"Oh, I hope Bridge tells her how he feels!" The pink ranger clasped her hands together. "And to think, they might get together because we ditched them so they could be alone."

"Sydney!"

The pink ranger was pulled out of her thoughts and she looked at her boyfriend. "What?" She then noticed that Sky's cheeks and ears were red and that the blue ranger was shivering, while still holding the large stuffed bunny that he had won her. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry!" Syd cooed as she immediately latched onto Sky's arm and began dragging him to the nearest restaurant so they could warm up. She had forgotten how much Sky hated the cold. "Let's get you somewhere warm."

"You owe me," Sky spoke up.

"I know, sweetie." Sydney grinned up at Sky, her eyes showing how grateful she really was. She knew she had been a real pain in the neck the last couple of days, but the blue ranger had never complained. He just went along with whatever she wanted. "I promise," she winked. "I'll do whatever you want, anytime you want."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

_xxx_

As soon as the boys had dropped them off at their room for the night and the doors had shut tight behind them, Syd had immediately dragged her over to her bed and pounced. "Okay, tell me everything!"

"What?" Z looked at her roommate like she was crazy.

"What? What do you mean 'what'? Tell me what happened with Bridge! Sky and I leave you and the next time we see you, you guys are holding hands! I was dying to ask you guys what happened between you during dinner but Sky kept elbowing me to keep me quiet," Syd was bouncing up and down with excitement. "Tell me, are you guys dating now? Did you finally tell him how you felt? Did he tell you how he felt?"

Z couldn't help it. A large smile came to her face and she nodded. The yellow ranger laughed out loud as the pink ranger gave a loud squeal. "Oh, I knew it! I knew if we left you guys alone something might happen! Sky had his doubts but then he's a man and what do men know about anything? Oh, I'm so happy for you guys!"

The two roommates talked for another hour – Syd asking the questions and Z providing the details. And when the two ended their conversation and she had decided to head to bed, the yellow ranger couldn't help but reach out for the large sized giraffe that Bridge had won for her that afternoon at the carnival. She hugged the stuffed animal to her chest and fell asleep with a large smile on her face.

_xxx_

Up on the roof of the SPD Academy, Giovanni stood while the rest of the city slept. The city looked peaceful and the glistening snow made it look beautiful. He enjoyed nights like this, where everything was silent and he was left alone with his solitude. He brought his hands together and cracked his knuckles as he took in a deep breath of fresh air.

Thanks to Piggy, he was able to get into the Academy using the blue prints that the alien had given him. He had to admit, Elizabeth and Jack had certainly done well for themselves. Silent as always, he had been able to maneuver through the secret pathways in the ceiling and looking through the vents, he had been able to see the insides of each their rooms. He now knew exactly where everyone was located; all he had to do now was to develop a strategy and extract his revenge.

Turning away from the view of the city, Giovanni turned and headed for the opened vent that was located right next to the rooftop doors. He crawled through the small space as quietly as he could. Even though it was late at night, there were still people in the Academy that were awake. Like the pink and blue rangers, for example. Giovanni paused, watching as Sky and Sydney interacted with each other. He was directly above the common room and he could plainly see the two teammates sitting on the couch in front of the television making out.

He rolled his eyes and continued on. He passed Keegan's room and paused to observe what he was doing. Jack and Keegan were sitting on Keegan's bed, while Caleb was sitting on Ian's bed and the three looked to be in deep conversation. Knowing that he would never be able to hear their conversation, Giovanni continued on until he reached his destination.

He entered the secret underground base with perfect silence. He headed over to the darkest corner of the large room and settled down to sleep. He was close… so close… revenge was just within his grasp. He fell asleep dreaming of what was to come and how it would feel once everyone was dead.

_xxx_

Well, another chapter done and we're now a chapter closer to the ending. Just out of curiosity, I'd like to see what everyone thinks will happen with Giovanni (grins). So be sure to leave it in the review! Thanks for sticking with me everybody!


	15. Some Answers Learned

Hey guys! Yes, that's right… I'm baaaaaack! How many of you are surprised to see this story being updated for the first time in two years? Actually, who even remembers this story? (grins) sorry guys, I kinda lost inspiration for this fic for awhile. But all the inspiration came back (finally) and hopefully I'll be able to finish this story really soon. Updates will be **sporadic** because I do have a life and tons of (and also unwanted) responsibilities. I miss the days of when I can just write whenever I wanted too without my schoolwork suffering… So please, please, _please_ be patient – just because I haven't updated a story in awhile _does not _mean I am abandoning it.

Reviews are _always_, **always** appreciated! So, please let me know what you guys think! And, if you want, you can even flame me for being away so long (though please don't make it all swear words… I think I've had about enough of all the swearing emails I can take).

So… nothing else to say except… enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 15:** _Some Answers Learned_

**Disclaimer:** Everything that you've never heard of (ex. The diamond) is made up. This story is for entertainment purposes only and the characters don't belong to me. Trust me, if I had enough money, I would've bought _Power Rangers_ a long time ago and Johnny Yong Bosch would be mine…

xxx

It was quiet and at first glance not a single person was in sight. Snow had stopped falling hours ago and with the moonlight sweeping over the sleeping city, it looked as if someone had taken a picture and had turned it into a postcard. If one didn't know any better, he or she would say it was a safe and peaceful city.

In the distance, a lone female figure stood on the rooftop of an abandoned building with a frown on her face. Her eyes, which were an unusual shade of violet, swept over the city as if she was searching for something. She was a brunette with long hair that was currently tied up in a tight bun at the top of her head. Everything about her demeanor screamed "I'm tough and I mean business." Those who encountered her knew immediately that this was someone not to cross.

"_Captain to Shadow. Do you read?" _

A voice suddenly came from the tiny microphone that was clipped to the collar of her black leather pant suit. The woman gave no indication of surprise – it seemed as if she had been expecting this person to contact her.

Shadow.

That was her code name. Had been and probably will always be. She could barely remember her former identity. She lifted the microphone closer to her mouth. "Shadow here," she replied.

It was a few moments before she heard a reply.

"_Have you located __Deveraux__ yet?" _

The look on Shadow's face hardened as her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fist. She hated failure. "Not yet, sir."

"_How close are you to tracking him down?" _

Shadow gritted her teeth. "Real close, sir. There have been several reports of murders in New Tech City. The outcomes of each murder are detailed exactly like the ones in the reports. I'm positive that Deveraux is in the vicinity."

"_Well, find him quickly. I give you permission to bring him back dead or alive. Do not fail Shadow. Do you understand?"_

Shadow let a frustrated growl escape her lips before raising the tiny microphone to her mouth. "It's crystal clear."

Her violet eyes swept over the city once more.

She would not fail.

_xxx_

Though her shift for the night was over, Kat Manx sat at her desk with her head bent over a pile of papers, hard at work. All around her sat files and files on Giovanni Deveraux, each file filled with information and pictures. So far, she had been able to locate the information that linked Deveraux with Z and her friends, providing more clues to the yellow ranger's past.

Kat pushed back her desk chair with her legs, rolling it a bit to the left side of her desk where she reached for the first thick file on the large pile and opened it up. Her eyes scanned the page and she frowned as she realized something. She quickly reached for the next two files and read through them quickly. Again, she read through the next five files and again, her eyes scanning through the words.

She paused at the last file, feeling stumped.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

It was just at the tip of her tongue. There was a clue hidden in the articles – she knew it, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. Or maybe it was something that was bothering her subconsciously? Something… She reached for another file and studied the photograph that was included in the article. And once again, she hit another dead end.

The feline scientist sighed and shook her head. "Okay Kat," she mumbled to herself. "Think… there's something missing here… there should be a clue in the newspapers, right? Why does it feel like there's something in this situation that we don't understand? There is something… why is Giovanni so bent on revenge?"

The answer to her last question was obvious. Z and her friends had participated in a plan that Jack had concocted – which had landed Giovanni in prison and naturally declaring revenge. Kat stared at her computer in frustration. There _just_ had to be another reason that Deveraux was so bent on killing every last one of his old charges.

The doors to the Command Centre swished opened and Doggie Cruger walked in, carrying a thick file. "Miss Manx," the large blue dog, walked over to where she sat and placed the file down in front of her. "I believe I found something that might help with the case. You might find this very interesting."

Kat picked up the file and opened it, shifting through the various papers. Her breath caught and her green eyes stared up at the Commander in shock. "How can this be...?"

"Evidently," Doggie replied. "It was around the time of the experiments that SPD were performing. Something must've gone extremely wrong. Prolonged exposure to the Cellular Enhancers can alter human genes in many ways. It is possible that the exposure could have altered his mind and personality. He may have been exposed the most – he was the head researcher of the experiments after all."

"But how is that possible?" Kat protested. "I led those experiments!"

"You may have led those experiments, Miss Manx," Cruger responded. "But he was head of the project and also the most dedicated. He was in the lab more often than not."

"That poor man… is it too late? Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Manx. It's been too long – there is nothing we can change. Even if we could, we have no way of knowing what had happened to him or how to reverse the damage. It could take years if it was even possible."

Kat Manx sighed and leaned back into her chair, rubbing her forehead tiredly. _'What in the world are we going to do now?'_

xxx

The next morning dawned cold and cloudy, though there were no more signs of snowfall. Bridge, in particular, woke up with a smile large enough to brighten anyone's day. The green ranger jumped out of bed and with delight, ripped off the gloves that were donning his hands and headed towards the bathroom while grabbing a few necessary items for his morning routine.

Within ten minutes, Bridge exited the bathroom only to find that his roommate had just woken up. He smirked at Sky – well, this was a first. He had never woken up before the blue ranger in his entire time at the Academy. In fact, Sky had always been the one to wake him up – it had been a regular routine ever since he had started at the Academy. Bridge was sure he deserved a medal of some kind for being awake so early.

The blue ranger, on the other hand, was disgruntled to find his friend awake before he was. Sky was known for his promptness and was proud of the fact that he was one of the few cadets that woke up at the crack of dawn on a regular basis. The fact that Bridge was awake before he was – Sky thought it was a sign that something wasn't right with the world. Everyone knew the green ranger loved to sleep.

"What are you doing up?" he grumbled, as he stretched and rolled out of his bed, getting ready to start the day. "You're usually sleeping until I get back from my training and even then I have to wake you up."

The green ranger chuckled and decided to answer honestly. "It feels like I've got a brand new life to live now. I don't wanna waste another morning sleeping in until I have to absolutely wake up. I've been afraid of this world for too long because of my powers. Now I just want to _live_."

Sky stared at his best friend, caught of guard by the green ranger's sudden confession. After a moment, he shook his head and grinned. "In that case, you want to come on my morning run with me? It would be nice to have company – if you're brave enough to face the cold, that is."

"That was what I was intending to do, actually," Bridge grinned. "Thanks Sky." In fact, he was intending to wake up this early from now on. He felt free as a bird and wanted to take advantage of the fact. The smile on his face stayed all the way through their workout and not even the biting cold of winter air could make it disappear.

He was finally free of his prison and it felt wonderful to finally be able to live his life the way he wanted.

xxx

She was nervous.

She hadn't been this nervous since she had first joined SPD and somehow, this nervous feeling was way worse than last time. At least back then, she had a vague idea of what to do. Joining SPD had been a big deal for her, but she had been confident that she could handle being a cadet and the training that came with being a power ranger.

But relationships were a different story. She didn't like the type of nervousness that came with it. Didn't like the butterflies, the blushes and looking like an idiot in general. At least before, she hadn't cared what she looked like. She would wake up in the mornings, brush her teeth and hair, put on her uniform and was usually done in ten minutes.

Today was another story altogether.

Z stood in front of the mirror, trying unsuccessfully to make her hair look nice. It was her first day as Bridge's official girlfriend and for once, she wanted to look pretty. She let out a growl of frustration and yanked her brush through her hair and painfully pulled out a few strands as she did so. She spent a few more minutes trying to arrange her hair before sighing in defeat. The yellow ranger just didn't have an aptitude for this kind of thing. She swallowed her pride and went to find the one person that she knew that would be amazing at this stuff and would absolutely be delighted help.

She exited the bathroom find her roommate putting the finishing touches on her make up. "Hey Syd?" she said hesitantly. The yellow ranger blushed when her roommate glanced at her through the mirror. The pink ranger smiled as a knowing look appeared on her face and then set down her make up on her dresser and walked toward Z, guiding the yellow ranger to sit on her bed.

"You need to relax, you know," Syd commented as she ran a brush through Z's hair. It was funny, she was older than Syd by a year but the pink ranger was so much more experienced with things like this. It made Z envy her. Why couldn't she be as confident as the pink ranger? "Bridge already likes you for who you are. It won't matter what you look like." The blonde pulled Z's hair back and the yellow ranger saw that her friend had pulled it back into a simple French twist. "But also remember, looking nice every once in awhile doesn't hurt."

"Thanks," she said it so quietly that she wasn't sure if her roommate had heard her, but apparently she had if Syd's nod was any indication.

"I think that the most important piece of advice I can give you, is to just be yourself. Everything else will just come naturally."

The yellow ranger considered her roommate's words. It was so easy for Syd to say those things like that. The pink ranger probably had had dozens of boyfriends over the years. Not only that, the pink ranger was so gorgeous and charming that the boys naturally flocked to her. Z, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She didn't think she was that bad looking, but she knew that she wasn't charming and she definitely didn't know how to flirt. Dating was a whole new world for her and it was part of the world she was still trying to get used too. It was hard to believe just how much she had changed from her old life. She _really_ had her work cut out for her.

The two rangers entered the Recreation Room to discover that their male teammates were already seated and eating their breakfast. Z was pleasantly surprised to see all of her other friends sitting and eating with them as well. It gave her a warm happy feeling to see everyone important to her getting along. Her eyes landed on her new boyfriend and she felt that familiar nervous feeling in her stomach again. Their eyes connected and she felt a thrill go through her.

The yellow ranger headed toward him, grabbing a breakfast tray as she did so. Bridge shuffled over, making room for her and she sat down in between him and Jack, unsure of what to say. The green ranger smiled at her, causing the butterflies in her stomach to double. There was a light hearted air and cheerful chatter all around them, but Z paid no attention to the others as she focused on the person sitting next to her.

"Morning," Bridge said softly as he reached for her hand. "You look nice… I mean… more than nice! I mean…" the green ranger began to turn red. "You look beautiful."

Z felt her mouth widen into a large smile and she was well aware of the heat on her cheeks. "Thanks," she replied just as quietly. She gave him a shy look. "You don't look so bad yourself."

And indeed the green ranger did look nice – at least, in her opinion. He wasn't wearing his gloves, which did kind of look strange on him but she found that she didn't mind at all – the idea of Bridge not wearing his gloves was one that she was getting use to very quickly. Bridge was also wearing his usual standardized uniform that every cadet at the Academy had to wear, but there was just something about him that made him look very appealing that day. The green trim of his uniform, for some reason, made his eyes stand out even more.

Z decided that it was because she was his girlfriend and the fact that he was now her boyfriend, gave him a certain sex appeal that she hadn't noticed before. She definitely liked it.

Everyone around them was amused to see the shy looks and smiles that the yellow and green rangers gave one another. It was almost like watching two children shyly reaching out to one another on a playground during recess because they wanted someone to play with. In a way, Bridge and Z were like two children interacting with one another for the first time. Both certainly had never been in relationships before and perhaps that was what made watching their exchange seem sweet and almost innocent.

xxx

Up from the vent in the ceiling, Giovanni watched the group of people below, sneering with disgust as they smiled and interacted with one another. Who could've ever thought? All the street rats mingling with the SPD police officers, the idea was too absurd to grasp and yet, the proof was right in front of him. His eyes narrowed in on the yellow ranger. She looked happy, he observed. After all the misery she had caused him, her happiness was simply unacceptable. He resolved to rectify that situation as soon as possible.

His eyes strayed to the person that had caused her happiness. The green ranger. Well, he would just have to eliminate him as well – how hard could it be? Compared to the blue ranger on his team, this one looked a little weaker and much more easily distracted. His gaze shifted to Jack Landors as the red ranger proceeded to say something that had caused the others to laugh. His expression became one of hate.

Jack Landors…

The one that had caused him to lose his most prized possession.

His precious Crimson Diamond…

He had literally spent _years_ searching for the rare diamond. There had only been three in existence and had been worth millions upon millions of dollars. Just having one of the diamonds alone could have made him filthy rich for the rest of his life and then some, had he had time to sell it. He had only just managed to get his hands on one of the three rare diamonds before his entire business had come crashing down. Millions of dollars invested in drugs down the drain. Sentenced to a lifetime in jail…

The Crimson Diamond had been his ticket to ultimate power. With all the wealth he could have sold it for, he would have had enough power to become the leader of an underground Mafia. The diamond had been in his hands about five minutes before the Police arrested him.

And it was all thanks to Jack Landors.

Giovanni growled, his hands clenching into fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. Jack still had the diamond - that much was obvious. If Jack had sold the diamond, or had even returned it to the proper authorities, it would have made headlines. As it was, nothing had ever been documented in the local newspapers. He had gone to the New Tech City Library upon his arrival and had managed to find no information on where the diamond was. The only problem was that only Jack knew where the diamond was. He doubted that the red ranger had told anyone of its whereabouts for fear of it falling into the wrong hands. For a brief moment, he wondered if Jack even knew how much the diamond had been worth… He shook his head. Most likely not. If Jack had known, he would have probably sold it almost immediately.

Giovanni turned his attention back to the group below him and watched them for several more minutes. He felt his anger slowly slip away and he relaxed – there would be plenty of time for revenge. Everything had to be planned down to the very last detail and it would do no good to lose his cool now. He still had more plans to put in motion.

First things first.

He tore his gaze away from the happy chatter below him and turned to survey the area around him. There wasn't much to look at – just tunnels and whatnot. He had studied the layouts that Piggy had provided for him and had concluded the best way to navigate around the SPD Academy without being detected was through the ventilation facilities in the ceiling. At the moment, he was in the Recreation Area. He needed to find the infirmary and dispose of Larissa since she was still in a coma.

Giovanni began crawling, occasionally turning left and right. It was several minutes before he found the room and carefully observed to see if any of the personnel were around. A smirk came to his face when he saw that the room was empty, save for the young coma-induced woman occupying one of the beds. Slowly dismantling the grate, he popped it off as quietly as he could and pulled himself through the opening.

He landed onto the floor with a quiet _thump_ and walked towards Larissa, anticipation at the thought of killing her filling him as he got closer and closer to where she laid. Looking at the young girl, he could see that her injures were beginning to heal. He had overheard Dr. Manx (he had learned the names of everyone that could potentially get in his way) a few days earlier, that there was a high chance of Larissa waking up and recovering. He continued to stare at her, his hand slowly reaching for the pillow that her head was resting on. He held the pillow over Larissa's head as a malicious grin formed on his face.

If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that this girl was just sleeping and not lying in a coma. Gripping the pillow in his hand, he brought down to Larissa's face and proceeded to smother her. He watched the monitor on the side as it beeped.

This time there would be no mistakes.

xxx

Back at the Recreation Room there was a loud chatter as everyone was finishing their breakfasts. The atmosphere was comfortable, light and happy. Z in particular, couldn't stop smiling. She and Bridge were holding hands underneath the table while they both were trying to eat the food in front of them. It was a little hard, eating with her right hand since she was left handed, but somehow she managed. She had no idea that she could feel this happy by just holding the hand of someone she cared about and knew that he truly cared about her too. She felt a thrill go through her every time she felt Bridge give her hand a little squeeze – which seemed to be every five minutes, but she didn't mind.

Caught up in her musings, the yellow ranger didn't notice as the happy chatter began to die down. It wasn't until she heard the tone of Caleb's voice, did her attention return to those around her.

"Hey, where is Ian this morning?"

Looking up, she saw that Caleb was frowning as he asked Kathleen where her brother was. The expression in his eyes told her that he was worried and she was suddenly reminded that the threat of Giovanni was still hanging around. With everything that had been happening, she had completely forgotten that Giovanni Deveraux was still after her and every single one of her friends.

Turning, she looked at Kathleen who equally had a worried look on her face. Z suddenly felt wary and one glance at her friends told her that everyone else felt the same. What if something had happened to Ian? The answer that Kathleen gave Caleb did nothing to ease the worry she was starting to feel.

"I don't know," Kathleen's voice sounded small. "We got into a fight last night and he stormed out. I have no idea where he went. He doesn't like it here at all."

The yellow ranger turned towards Jack and saw that he had a troubled look on his face. The red ranger had just started to stand up when Keegan spoke. "I think I know where he went. If you guys want, I can go get him and bring him back here."

"I think that's a good idea," Sky spoke up. The blue ranger stood up. "I'll come with you incase anything happens."

But before anyone could say anything else, they heard the alarms sound throughout the Academy, and a mechanical voice came on through the intercom. _"POWER RANGERS! PLEASE REPORT TO THE COMMAND CENTRE IMMEDIATELY!" _Almost automatically the five Power Rangers stood up.

The rangers all looked at one another, unsure of what to do. "It's alright," Keegan said. "I'll be fine going alone."

"No you won't," Caleb shook his head, standing up as well. "You guys go on," he said, sending a look at the rangers. "I'll go with Keegan. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Okay," Syd replied. "You guys be careful!"

And then the rangers ran out the door.

xxx

Up in the ceiling, Giovanni listened with interest as Keegan and Caleb were getting ready to head out to find Ian. This was the most perfect opportunity he could have ever asked for! A chance to kill some of the traitors that had betrayed him… the only question now, was should he go after Kathleen and Rosanna first? Technically, they were the easier ones to kill. They weren't as physically strong as their male friends. Or should he follow Caleb and Keegan and wait until they find Ian and then kill all three at once?

After a few moments of contemplating, he decided to follow Caleb and Keegan. They would be much more out in the open and would have fewer defenses. The girls could wait – after all, he wanted to have a little fun with them before they left the world permanently.

His eyes darkened. Revenge was _so_ sweet.

xxx

"So, you think Ian is at the park?"

It was an unusual warm winter's day and what was even stranger was that the park was deserted. A lot of snow had melted and the pathway they walked on was clear so that there was little chance of slipping on any patches of slippery ice. There was still a lot of snow around though and it made the park look very nice, in Caleb's opinion. Keegan nodded in response to his friend's question as he and Caleb walked along the path that led to the park. "It's where he always goes when something is bothering him. It's like his thinking place."

"Well," Caleb shrugged. "Whatever works for him."

Before Keegan could respond, a well-aimed rock collided with his head, striking him down. A look of horror crossed Caleb's face as he ran over to his friend and bent down to check his pulse. Blood was oozing from the back of Keegan's head as he frantically pressed two fingers against his neck for a pulse. He felt hot tears come to his eyes when he couldn't find any. Hearing footsteps headed toward him, Caleb looked up and felt his blood freeze.

Giovanni was walking toward him with his all too familiar malicious smile. Fear engulfed him and he took a step back, unsure of what to do. The shock of his friend's sudden death combined with the fact that Giovanni had _somehow known_ where they were headed had him paralyzed and he couldn't effectively think of ways to escape. He could feel himself shaking and was suddenly finding it more difficult to breathe. Caleb was a decent fighter but he knew there was no way he could win against a skilled assassin like his former boss.

"Well… well… well… we meet again."

Even his voice brought and involuntary shiver down Caleb's spine. They stared at one another for what seemed like ages. Caleb was stuck frozen in his spot. It was as if the feeling in his legs was lost and he couldn't move. Finally, his common sense kicked in and he began backing away.

Caleb continued to take a step back as Giovanni came closer and closer. "What the hell do you want from me?" he choked, trying to sound braver than he actually felt. He felt his chest tighten when he saw Giovanni take a knife out of his pocket. He inwardly swore. _Shit._ Giovanni was not going to make it easy to get away at all. _If he even managed to get away. _

Without warning, Giovanni lunged forward. Caleb managed to deflect his first few attacks, but the fact that he was able to defend himself seemed only to make Giovanni more excited and determined. The knife that he held in his hands sliced through Caleb's arm and immediately began bleeding. Caleb gasped at the pain and fell backwards as Giovanni towered over him.

"I hope you know, that it was a big mistake to ever have double crossed me," Giovanni snarled, raising the knife about his head. "I fed you, I clothed you, I took you in when no one else wanted you… and you repay me by TURNING ON ME AND HAVE ME THROWN INTO JAIL?" His voice became louder and louder with each word that came out of his mouth. "YOU WOULD HAVE DIED IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME!" He roared. Caleb braced himself. _This is it…_

Next thing he knew, Ian had come barreling out of nowhere and had slammed his body into Giovanni's, throwing the power-hungry man off balance. Caleb could only stare at his friend in shock as Ian rushed over to him.

"Are you okay?" Ian demanded to know.

"Yeah," he breathed heavily. "I think so – but Keegan…" he trailed off as he looked at the fallen body of his friend. "He's gone…"

Ian followed his gaze and his expression hardened. "Nothing we can do about that now."

By now, Giovanni had recovered from Ian's surprise attack. "Welcome, Ian," his voice was laced with sarcasm. "By the time I'm done with you both, there will be three less brats to deal with."

But before Giovanni could follow through on his threat, there were suddenly explosions surrounding him. When the smoke cleared, there was a woman standing between them and death. Both Caleb and Ian could only stare, unable to comprehend the situation in front of them. Caleb's arm was still bleeding, the blood flowing down onto his clothes.

"You!" Giovanni snarled at the woman, his voice going into a deadly hiss.

"Deveraux," the woman replied evenly. She was so calm that it made them wonder if the woman even knew what she was getting into and whom she was dealing with. "I've been looking for you," she continued. "I see you're still torturing defenseless people."

"Stay out of my way!" The anger on Deveraux's face was unmistakable.

The woman snorted. "Not a chance," she responded. "I'm here to bring you in."

So she was a cop of some sorts. Her outfit sure didn't indicate it.

Both Ian and Caleb recognized the look on Giovanni's face. Deveraux tended to lose all rationality when he was angry – but that made him all the more dangerous. His rage left him blind but also fueled the fire to act out without a care. They could only watch as the woman in front of them began to fight with Giovanni. The thought of escaping never entered their minds.

xxx

They stood in a line in the Command Centre, the florescent lights beaming down upon them as Commander Cruger paced back and forth in front of them. All five rangers were wondering why they had been paged when Emperor Gruumm hadn't even attacked; the city looked peaceful and quiet for the moment. Off to the side, Dr. Manx stood looking solemn, and her expression more serious than they had ever seen. That expression combined with the Commander's pacing, made them nervous.

Finally Cruger stopped pacing and turned to face them. "Rangers," he barked. "Dr. Manx and I have just recently discovered valuable information that we feel you all should be informed of."

Kat took a step forward and her gaze landed on Z and Jack, causing the yellow and red rangers to stand straighter. "It concerns Giovanni."

Beside her, she felt Jack stiffen and Z felt her guard immediately snap into place. She had a feeling that what they were about to hear would not be good news and that things were about to get worse. Although she knew she had no choice, it didn't stop her from wishing she didn't have to hear the news at all. Why did this have to happen, now that she was finally at a point where she was truly happy for the first time in her life? It wasn't fair – she didn't want to hear anymore bad news.

"As you all know, all of your parents worked at SPD conducting experiments," Cruger began. "While Dr. Manx did lead the experiments, she however, was not in charge. At the time, that responsibility belonged solely to a man, a scientist named Dr. Van Deveraux."

The rangers froze at hearing the name.

"No way…" Bridge muttered slowly under his breath.

Kat looked grim. "We've discovered that Giovanni and Van Deveraux are one and the same."

Sky stepped forward. The blue ranger was frowning as he tried to process the information. "But how is that possible?" he asked. "He used to work at SPD? How did he become so evil and power hungry? It doesn't make sense."

"Dr. Deveraux was very intelligent and well respected for his accomplishments," Kat answered. "But even then, he craved power. Unfortunately, everyone saw it as ambition." She paused and exchanged a glance with the Commander before continuing. "He spent most of his time in the lab and we believe that over time, his exposure to the chemicals somehow altered his mind and personality. He was not above testing some of the experiments on himself, so that is also a possibility."

"So, it's kind of like a '_Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_' explanation?" Syd asked, referring to one of the most classic stories of all time. "Split personalities?"

Cruger nodded. "Exactly. Only they have the same name and the personality we're dealing with is permanent. Dr. Van Deveraux no longer exists, only Giovanni remains."

Kat pressed a few buttons on the console and two images appeared on the computer screen. "This is Dr. Deveraux," she indicated to the image on the left. The yellow ranger shifted her gaze from the picture to the one on the right and shuddered. The more recent picture of Giovanni showed just how much the former scientist had changed within two decades. She remembered the scars all across his face and even though the photo didn't show it, the scars ran down his neck to his arms. She continued to stare at the images and a shiver ran down her spine. The expressions in Deveraux's eyes in both photos were the same.

He craved power at all costs.

Then a thought struck her. "Wait," she turned from the photos and stared at the Commander. "I thought that it was only Kat and our parents that worked on the experiments, with only one other person involved."

Cruger nodded. "That is correct."

Jack straightened, looking alarmed. The red ranger had obviously caught onto Z's train of thought. "That means Deveraux is related to Sam in some way, doesn't it?"

Both the Commander and Kat exchanged glances before the feline scientist turned towards them and nodded. "He is Sam's father," Kat told them.

Z felt her throat constrict, sympathy and horror filling her as she absorbed what Kat and the Commander was telling them. Poor Sam… that poor little boy… she hold that Sam would never find out who his father truly was… in this case, ignorance was definitely bliss. He was better off not knowing.

She saw Kat and Cruger exchange another glance.

"There's more isn't there?" The yellow ranger pressed. "There's something else that you're not telling us."

Cruger sighed. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but we've also discovered how your father died. He was murdered by Giovanni."

Whatever Z had been expecting to hear, that wasn't it. It was as if her whole world had come crashing down and there was nothing left to hold it up. She stared at the Commander, hearing his words but was unable to comprehend his meaning. She blinked and took a deep breath. Murdered? _Her father had been murdered? _

_By Giovanni?!_

She shook her head. "I don't understand. I thought my father died in an accident."

Kat pressed more buttons and the pictures of Giovanni disappeared and were replaced with an image of a Hispanic man. The yellow ranger felt tears come to her eyes as she gazed at the photo of her father, with the familiar twinkle in his eyes and his easy going smile… she had forgotten what his smile looked like…

"Sir," everyone's attention turned to Sky, including Z's. There was a look of confusion on the blue ranger's face. "Isn't that Danny Delgado? He was the first Black SPD Ranger, wasn't he? I'm pretty sure he served on the team with my dad. There are photos at my house."

Z turned sharply to Cruger. "My dad was a ranger?"

The big blue dog looked pained as he nodded. "He was. He was also the former Black Wild Force Ranger. The very first Power Ranger teams of SPD were all composed of former rangers. Danny Delgado was the Black Power Ranger of A-Squad and he was a fine ranger. His death was a huge loss to SPD."

"There's something I don't get," Jack announced. "Why would Giovanni murder Z's father? It doesn't make sense. Did they hate each other or something?"

"We believe that Danny was the only one to have noticed the changing characteristics of Giovanni's personality," Kat replied. "Danny had always been the quietest and most observant person, so it makes sense that he would have been the only person to realize what was happening to Giovanni. Unfortunately, Danny also decided to confront Giovanni alone – at least, that is what we're speculating. According to the files we've found, Danny was murdered around the same time Giovanni's business of drug dealing was really in power."

"Why didn't anyone tell me that my father was a ranger?!" Z suddenly burst out. "This isn't something that should be kept secret! I can _barely_ remember my parents before I was living on the streets. You would think that someone would have realized that his _own daughter_ was here at SPD without knowing it!"

"We hadn't realized that you were Danny's daughter, Z," Kat told her gently. "You were no where to be found after that disastrous earthquake that had hit New Tech City years ago. All the former Wild Force Ranger searched for you for a year, everyone thought that you had died during the earthquake."

Z felt the familiar fear rushing through her as she relieved the memories of when she was eight. She remembered trying to run for safety through the crowds of people as the ground shook beneath her. She remembered falling and rocks were crashing down around her and people screaming… she remembered sitting, paralyzed as she watched the giant rocks hitting the people around her and their screams instantly silencing.

And she remembered Giovanni coming to her rescue just as part of a building was about to fall on top of her.

Giovanni saving her that day had led her straight to growing up in her own personal hell.

The yellow ranger felt hot tears streaming down her face as she turned and ran from the Command Centre. She heard the others calling after her but she ignored them and continued running. She didn't stop until she reached her room and threw herself onto her bed. She grabbed her pillow and buried her face into it and sobbed.

xxx

Z felt groggy when she awoke.

Sitting up, she instantly remembered why she had been in her room in the first place. Damn, she must have fallen asleep while crying. Looking at her clock and seeing that Syd was no where to be found, the yellow ranger concluded that everyone must have been at dinner.

She was startled when the doors to her room slid open and Bridge entered, carrying a tray full of food. The green ranger stopped in surprise when he saw her sitting on her bed, but quickly recovered and rushed to her side, setting the tray of food on the table next to her bed.

Without a word, Bridge sat next to her and gently wrapped her in his arms, giving her a squeeze. The yellow ranger felt instantly comforted and briefly wondered how Bridge knew that she had desperately needed a hug. A quick glance down at his gloveless hands told her the answers. Sometimes it was handy having Bridge's powers around. Other times the green ranger's powers scared her since Bridge could easily see through her defenses if he wanted too, but they had come a long way since then and Z knew she could trust the green ranger with her life and didn't mind that he could read her inside out. This was one of those times that she really didn't mind that he was psychometric. It was as if all the bad news she had received had somehow disappeared at his presence.

"Thanks Bridge," she said, not really sure what she was thanking him for.

The green ranger pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her even tighter, causing her to smile slightly. "Anytime," he replied.

And for the next few hours, Bridge and Z stayed perched on the yellow ranger's bed, with her back against his chest, his arms around her waist and their fingers intertwined. Z would always remember it as the moment where she felt safest and most loved.

Their relationship was still new, but she had no doubts about it. Because at that moment, as Bridge pressed another kiss to her temple, Z was sure that she had fallen in love with the green ranger and that this was what love felt like.

The memory would forever be cherished in her heart.

xxx

So what did you guys thinks? Please review!

**Note:** As it has been a long time since I've worked on this story, a lot of the little details that I've carefully intergraded into this has long since been forgotten. I've read the chapters that I've written over and over several times, and the main plots are still in my head – I think I've managed to remember everything that's really needed – but sometimes things can be missed. So, if something doesn't make sense with the rest of the story, please let me know and I'll definitely look into it. Thanks!

BTW, the timeline in this story is supposed to be set in winter. When I originally started writing this fic, I had planned for it to be finished around Christmas time (that is, Christmas 2005) and here it is, a couple of years later and it's still not done. When I finally do get to the end of this story though, it'll take place during the most joyous holiday of the year! So don't let the timeline confuse you, like it did to me when I started writing again!

**Note #2:** The Cellular Enhancer info came from the episode '_Sam, part 2_.' Everything else is just made up!


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